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JAMES  H.  MALONE 


THE 

Chickasaw  Nation 

A  Short  Sketch  of  A  Noble  People 

By 
JAMES  H.  MALONE 


JOHN  P.  MORTON  &  COMPANY 

Incorporated 

Louisville,  Kentucky 
1922 


W    '     ' 


Copyright,  1922 
By  JAMES  H.  MALONE 


To  My  Dear  Wife 
ESTELLE  VERNEY  MALONE 

To  whom  I  owe  so  much,  these 
pages  are  inscribed 


500 i  :0 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Chapter  I — As  to  the  Origin  of  the  American  Indians i 

Chapter  II — As  to  the  Origin  of  the  Chickasaw  Nation 14 

How  the  Indians  Preserved  Historical  Events 16 

Traditions  of  a  Western  Origin 16 

Did  the  Separation  Take  Place  in  the  West? 20 

The  Indians  Were  the  Mound  Builders 23 

Traditions  Also  Point  to  an  Asiatic  Origin 26 

Conclusion 27 

Chapter  III — The  Dawn  of  History  for  the  Chickasaws 29 

De  Soto  Lands  in  Florida 31 

De  Soto  Reaches  the  Chickasaws 34 

The  Original  Chickasaws  as  They  Were 36 

Battle  with  the  Chickasaws 40 

What  Caused  the  Conflict 48 

Chapter  IV — Topography  of  the  Country  Between  the  Chick- 
asaw Country  and  Chickasaw  Bluffs 52 

Dr.  Rowland  Has  Shifted  the  Bulwark  of  His  Defense .  .  53 

How  Language  Should  Be  Interpreted 55 

The  Trails  of  the  Chickasaw  Indians 57 

The  Short-Cut  Trail,  or  Pigeon  Roost  Road 64 

Pigeon  Roost  Creek  and  the  Pigeons 70 

The  Trail  from  Holly  Springs  to  New  Albany 75 

Chapter  V — The  Four  De  Soto  Narratives  Quoted  and 

Compared 79 

The  Text  of  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas 81 

How  the   Governor  Went  from  Quizquiz,  and  Thence 

to  the  River  Grande 82 

The  Text  of  Biedma 83 

The  Text  of  Ranjel 85 

Opinion  of  Professor  Lewis  Criticized 86 

De  Soto's  Route  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs 92 

v 


Contents 

Page 

Chapter  VI — De  Soto  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs 104 

The  Location  of  Quizquiz 115 

De  Soto's  Camp  Near  a  River  Bank 118 

Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  the  Inca 122 

The  Account  of  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega 125 

De  Soto  at  the  Mississippi 129 

De  Soto  Crosses  the  Mississippi 130 

The  Country  Opposite   Memphis   Dovetails  with  the 

Narratives    132 

Chapter  VII — Where  the  Mississippi  was  Crossed,  Contin- 
ued, and  of  the  De  Soto  Memorial  at  Memphis   1 38 

The  Importance  of  the  Discovery  of  the   Mississippi 

River 139 

The  Great  Abundance    of  Fish  Taken  Points  to  the 

Place  of  Discovery 144 

Lusher 's  Map  as  Reproduced  by  J.  Paul  Gaines 147 

Article  of  Miss  Mixon 151 

The  Map  of  Delisle  Again 153 

The  De  Soto  Memorial  Erected  at  Memphis,  May  22, 

1919 156 

Address  of  Dr.  B.  F.  Turner 158 

The  Tomb  of  De  Soto 161 

Address  of  Judge  R.  M.  Barton 162 

Address  of  J.  Elmore  Holmes  Presenting  Copy  of   De 

Soto 165 

Response  of  Senor  Don  Emilio  Zapico,  the    Spanish 

Consul 166 

Minnesota  and  Mississippi  Honor  De  Soto 167 

Chapter  VIII — The  Home  Life  and  Character  of  the  Chick- 

asaws 170 

Authentic  Sources  of  Information 170 

How  the  Original  Chickasaws  Appeared 174 

Private  Character  of  the  Chickasaws 179 

Language  of  the  Chickasaws 181 

Their  Dwelling  Houses 182 


Contents 

Chapter  VIII — Continued  Page 

Courtship  and  Marriage 186 

The  Marital  Relation  in  Other  Respects  and  Chickasaw 

Nomenclature 187 

The  Treatment  of  Children 193 

Food  Given  by  the  Indians  to  Civilization 195 

What  the  Chickasaws  Had  to  Eat 200 

Chickasaw   Medicine 204 

Amusements  of  the  Chickasaws 205 

The  Chickasaw  Hunters  and  their  Endurance 205 

Their  Government,  Religion,  etc 208 

Making  War 220 

The  Indians  Were  the  Mound  Builders 221 

What  We  Might  Learn  from  the  Primitive  Chickasaws .  .  223 

Jefferson  on  Indian  Eloquence 227 

Montaigne's  Opinion  of  the  Indians  and  their  Govern- 
ment    229 

Chapter  IX — The  Chickasaws  from  the  Time  of  De  Soto  Un- 
til their  First  Treaty  with  the  United  States 232 

Iberville  and  Bienville  Meet  the  Chickasaws 239 

Population  of  the  Primitive  Chickasaws 242 

Chickasaws  Friends  of  the  English 243 

Causes  Leading  to  the  Extirpation  of  the  Natchez .  .  .  245 
The  Real  Cause  of  the  War  made  by  the  French  on  the 

Chickasaws , 247 

Bienville  Makes  War  on  the  Chickasaws 249 

The  Signal  Defeat  of  D'Artaguette 251 

The  Battle  of  Ackia 255 

A  Perfect  Chickasaw  Day 263 

Bienville's  Second  War  upon  the  Chickasaws 264 

Vaudreuil  Makes  War  on  the  Chickasaws   269 

The  Chickasaws'  Prowess  on  the  Mississippi 271 

The  English  Gain  Control  of  the  Gulf  States 276 

The  Prophecy  of  Adair  Fulfilled 278 

The  Chickasaws  Neutral  during  the  Revolution 281 

Why    Mississippians,    Tennesseans,    Alabamians    and 
Kentuckians  Should  be  Proud  of  the  Chickasaw 

Nation 282 

vii 


Contents 

Chapter  IX — Continued  Page 
Why  the  Chickasaws  were  Unconquered  and  Uncon- 
querable     283 

Historic  Chickasaw  Country 285 

Chapter  X — Of  the  First  Treaties  between  the  United  States 

and  the  Chickasaw  Nation 292 

The  Right  of  Title  by  Discovery  Established 293 

The  Indians  Were  Not  Without  Able  White  Defenders .  296 

First  or  Unofficial  Chickasaw  Treaty 301 

Treaties  between  the  Chickasaws  and  the  United  States  305 

The  Treaty  of  1786 306 

The  Treaty  of  1801 308 

The  Treaty  of  1805 309 

Indians  Encouraged  to  Contract  Debts 311 

The  Treaty  of  1816 312 

The  Treaty  Preceding  the  Birth  of  Memphis 314 

The  Heart-Breaking  Treaties  of  1832  and  1834 317 


Chapter  XI — Short  Sketch  of  Piomingo  and  Sequoyah;  and 

herein  of  Men  of  the  South 331 

Piomingo,  the  Great  Chickasaw  Chief 332 

George  Washington  to  Piomingo 339 

Piomingo,  at  the  Nashville  Conference,  1792 340 

Piomingo  Left  to  his  Fate 343 

Victory  for  the  Unconquerable  Chickasaws 346 

Piomingo  and  Governor  Gayoso 348 

The  Last  Public  Appearance  of  Piomingo 350 

As  to  Family  of  Piomingo,  etc 354 

Sequoyah,  the  Cadmus  of  America 358 

The  Great  Invention 362 

Sequoyah  in  the  Hall  of  Fame 366 

The  Last  Days  of  Sequoyah 367 

The  South  and  Intellectual  Men 368 

The  South  After  the  Abolition  of  Slavery 373 

The  Fate  of  Haiti  under  Negro  Rule 374 


viii 


Contents 

Chapter  XI — Continued  Page 

How  the  South  Prospered  After  Emancipation 378 

The  Attitude  of  Southern  Men  to  the  Union 380 

The  Negro  in  the  1920  Census 388 

Chapter  XII — The  Story  of  the  Chickasaws  Continued  Since 

the  Treaties  of  1832  and  1834 394 

Centenary  of  Chickasaw  Triumphs 394 

The  Chickasaws  Purchase  a  New  Home  in  the  Choctaw 

Country 397 

Treaty  of  Washington,  1852 398 

Ancient  Cemetery  at  Pontotoc 399 

Treaty  at  Washington,  1855 400 

The  Chickasaws  and  the  Civil  War 402 

Treaty  of  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws  with  the  Con- 
federate States  of  America 406 

The  Desolation  of  the  Civil  War 408 

The  Treaty  of  1866 412 

The  Long  Struggle  for  Racial  Purity 415 

Constitution  and  Laws  of  the  Chickasaws 419 

The  Dawes  Agreement \ 420 

How  Congress  Set  Aside  all  Indian  Treaties 421 

Illogical  Argument  against  Ownership  in  Common  .  .  .  434 

Robbing  Indians  According  to  Law 438 

The  Judiciary  Sustains  Congress 446 

In  the  Forum  of  Conscience 450 

Chapter  XIII — The  Chickasaws  in  the  Twentieth  Century . .  455 

The  Chickasaw  Guards 456 

Competitive  Drills 460 

Chickasaw  Guards  in  World-Wide  War 461 

Certain  Indians  Made  Citizens 467 

The  Chickasaws  as  Citizens  of  Oklahoma 474 

The  Name  Oklahoma  a  Chickasaw  Word 478 

The  Present  Chickasaw  Population 481 

Unsold  Tribal  Property 484 

The  Present  Chickasaw  Officials 487 


ix 


Contents 

Chapter  XIII — Continued  i>age 

Indian  Population  of  the  United  States 488 

Official  Washington  vs.  Official  Washington 493 

The  Present  General  Condition  of  the  Indians 500 

Children  in  School 501 

Christianity  and  the  Chickasaws 504 

Chickasaw  and  Choctaw  Claim  vs.  United  States 507 

Chapter  XIV — The  World-Wide  War  and  Herein  of  Otis 

W.  Leader 510 

Distinguished  Service  of  Otis  W.  Leader 511 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

James  H.  Malone Frontispiece 

Indian  Pictograph  Writing 1 6 

De  Soto  at  Chickasaw  Bluffs 104 

De  Soto  Memorial 156 

Original  Chickasaw 174 

Chickasaw  Hunting  Scene 206 

Bienville's  Fort 256 

Historic  Chickasaw  Country 285 

Piomingo 331 

Sequoyah 358 

Governor  D.  H.  Johnston 455 

Otis  W.  Leader 510 

Lusher's  Map  Redrawn  by  Gaines Back  of  Book 


xi 


FOREWORD 
SOUVENIR  EDITION 

The  first  six  chapters  of  this  book  were  printed  for  private 
distribution  by  the  author  in  May,  1919.  In  the  foreword  it 
was  said : 

"During  a  somewhat  protracted  experience  at  the  Memphis 
Bar,  my  attention  was  early  called  to  the  treaties  of  1832  and 
1834  between  the  United  States  and  the  Chickasaw  Nation. 

"Under  these  treaties  the  Chickasaws  ceded  the  last  inch 
of  that  vast  and  splendid  domain  which  they  had  conquered  and 
occupied  long  before  Columbus,  sailing  westward,  looked  upon 
the  shores  of  what  was  called  a  new  world. 

"There  are  lines  of  deep  pathos  in  those  treaties.  From 
time  to  time  my  attention  was  called  to  the  early  history  of  the 
Chickasaws,  and  I  made  some  notes,  and  still  later  wrote  some 
fragmentary  sketches  upon  the  subject,  more  as  a  diversion  than 
otherwise.  In  assisting  with  our  approaching  Centenary  Cele- 
bration (May  19-24,  1919),  I  concluded,  almost  at  the  last 
moment,  to  print  what  I  have  already  written  as  a  souvenir,  and 
as  a  small  contribution  to  local  history. 

"Should  time  and  opportunity  permit,  I  hope  to  complete 
what  I  design  to  call,  The  Chickasaw  Nation;  A  Short  Sketch  of 
a  Noble  People.'  " 

When  the  above  was  written,  I  supposed  that  more  than 
half  my  work  had  been  done,  and  had  no  proper  conception  of 
the  great  labor  in  the  way  of  research  into  original  sources  of 
information  that  would  be  required.  It  turned  out  that  in- 
stead of  one  half  of  the  subject  having  been  covered  by  the 
souvenir  edition,  in  fact  it  was  only  about  one  fourth  of  the 
completed  book. 

To  the  first  six  chapters  small  additions  only  have  been 
made. 

The  first  chapter  was  written  during  a  vacation  upon  the 
Muskoka  Lakes,  of  Canada,  in  1916,  and  then  laid  aside. 


Foreword 

For  a  diversion  in  1917,  I  turned  from  the  horrors  of  the 
world-wide  war  to  the  subject  of  this  work,  and  accumulated 
considerable  material;  and  while  on  a  vacation  in  Atlantic  City 
in  the  summer  of  191 8,  I  put  the  additional  matter  somewhat  in 
order  and  finally  printed  it  in  1919,  as  indicated  above. 

Subsequent  Chapters— 

The  seventh  and  eighth  chapters  were  written  in  Oakland, 
California,  while  sojourning  there  in  the  summer  of  1919;  and 
then,  more  fully  realizing  that  further  researches  were  necessary, 
I  spent  six  weeks  in  Washington,  D.  C,  in  the  summer  of  1920, 
examining  authorities  in  the  Congressional  Library;  and  in 
Washington  I  wrote  the  ninth,  tenth,  and  part  of  the  eleventh 
chapters.  Although  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law  all  this 
time,  I  have  taken  time  from  other  labors  to  complete  my  work, 
leaving  to  others  a  prosecution  of  further  researches  along  the 
same  lines. 

Quotations  from  Authorities— 

I  have  made  more  and  fuller  quotations  from  other  books 
and  authorities  than  is  customary  in  works  of  this  character,  and 
my  reasons  therefor  have  been  twofold : 

(1)  While  public  as  well  as  private  libraries  have  greatly 
increased  in  the  South  of  late  years,  still  the  great  bulk  of  our 
people  have  access  to  but  a  small  number  of  the  authorities 
quoted;  hence  my  desire  to  lay  the  same  more  fully  before  the 
reader. 

My  attention  was  called  to  this  by  letters  of  inquiry  from 
various  persons  desiring  to  obtain  fuller  information  on  the 
subjects  treated. 

There  is  a  working  agreement  between  the  larger  libraries 
which  permits  one  library  to  loan  to  another,  for  a  short  period, 
rare  and  valuable  books,  where  a  patron  is  engaged  in  research 
work.  Through  Charles  D.  Johnston,  the  efficient  Secretary  of 
the  Cossitt  Library,  I  obtained  a  number  of  rare  books  from 

xiv 


Foreword 

Washington  and  St.  Louis.  At  best  this  system  involves  con* 
siderable  delay,  and  it  is  far  better  to  have  direct  access  to  the 
library. 

(2)  My  own  experience  has  shown  that  authors  frequently 
make  a  broad  statement  with  only  foot-note  references  to  some 
books,  and  often  when  examined,  the  authorities  either  fail  to 
support  the  text,  or  in  some  instances  are  contradictory  thereto. 
It  would  seem  the  better  plan  to  quote  liberally,  so  that  the 
reader  may  be  afforded  the  opportunity  of  passing  his  own 
judgment  upon  the  deductions  made  from  authorities  cited  in 
support  of  the  text. 

Bibliography- 
Believing  that  the  average  reader  will  prefer  a  continuous 
narrative  without  the  usual  foot  notes,  I  have  so  written  this 
book;  but  a  bibliography,  alphabetically  arranged  according  to 
authors,  follows  this  foreword.  That  list  contains  the  works 
I  have  examined  in  the  course  of  my  studies  of  the  questions 
involved. 

The  explanatory  note  preceding  the  list  of  authorities  shows 
my  reasons  for  pursuing  this  course,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  read  in 
connection  with  this  foreword. 


xv 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

It  will  be  seen  that  there  are  no  notes  in  this  book,  which  is 
unusual  with  works  of  this  character.  The  purpose  was  to 
present  a  continuous  narrative  without  interruption  to  examine 
notes,  believing  that  this  course  will  be  preferred  by  the  general 
reader. 

This  bibliography  is  designed  mainly  for  two  purposes: 

(i)  For  the  critical,  who  may  desire  to  examine  in  detail  and 
at  length  the  authors  to  which  I  refer.  For  this  purpose  the 
scholar  can  find  in  this  list  of  authorities  the  names  of  the  authors 
alphabetically  arranged,  the  title  of  books  and  pamphlets,  and 
when,  where,  and  by  whom  each  was  published,  including  the 
edition  examined. 

I  regret  that  the  thought  of  preparing  this  bibliography  did 
not  occur  to  me  until  after  a  large  part  of  the  work  had  been 
completed ;  otherwise  it  would  have  been  more  extensive  and  more 
accurate. 

(2)  Many  of  the  books  examined  are  rare  and  not  to  be 
found  in  this  section  of  the  country,  and  believing  that  there 
should  be  a  more  critical  and  extensive  research  into  the  original 
sources  of  information  respecting  our  country,  it  is  hoped  that 
others  may  be  led  to  make  more  extensive  explorations  into  the 
wealth  of  material  which  I  have  not  been  able  to  examine. 

From  these  sources  the  future  analytical  and  critical  his- 
torian will  find  the  material  ready  at  hand  for  a  correct  and 
philosophical  history  of  our  Southern  Indians,  and  also  for  the 
early  history  of  our  part  of  the  United  States. 

Memphis,  August,  1921. 
Abel,  Annie  H.,   "The  American   Indian  as  Slaveholder  and 

Secessionist";  The  Arthur  H.  Clark  Company,  Cleveland, 

Ohio,  1915. 
Abel,  Annie  H.,  'The  American  Indian  as  Participant  in  the 

Civil  War";  The  Arthur  H.   Clark  Company,   Cleveland, 

Ohio,  1919. 

xvii 


Bibliography 

Adair,  James,  "The  History  of  the  American  Indians,"  by  a 
resident  of  their  country  for  forty  years ;  printed  for  Edward 
and  Charles  Dilly  in  the  Poultry,  1775.     (Rare.) 

Alaska  Bureau  of  Education,  Bulletin  (191 9)  No.  40,  "Work 
of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  Natives  of  Alaska"; 
Government  Printing  Office,  Washington,  D.  C,  1919. 
.Alvord,  Clarence  W.,  and  Lee  Bidgood,  "The  First  Ex- 
plorations of  the  Trans-Allegheny  Region  by  the  Virginians, 
1 650- 1 674";  The  Arthur  H.  Clark  Company,  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  1912. 

American  (Tenn.)  Historical  Magazine  for  the  years  1898 
and  1899;  published  by  the  Peabody  Normal  College, 
Nashville,  Tennessee. 

American  State  Papers,  Class  2,  Indian  Affairs;  published  by 
authority  at  Washington,  D.  C,  by  Gales  and  Seaton,  1832. 

Bacon,  William  J.  (Editor),  "History  of  the  Fifty-Fifth 
Artillery  Brigade";  designed,  engraved,  and  printed  by 
Benson  Printing  Co.,  Nashville,  Tennessee,  1920. 

Bancroft,  George,  "History  of  the  United  States  of  America," 
six  volumes;  D.  Appleton  and  Co.,  New  York  City,   1892. 

Bancroft,  Hubert  H.,  'The  Great  Republic,"  by  Master 
Historians;  Syndicate  Publishing  Company,  New  York, 
London. 

Barrows,  William,  "The  Indian's  Side  of  the  Indian  Question"; 
Boston  D.  Lothrop  Company,  Franklin  and  Hawley  Streets, 
1887. 

Barton,  Benjamin  Smith,  "New  Views  of  the  Origin  of  the 
Tribes  and  Nations  of  America";  printed  for  the  author  by 
John  Bisren,  1797. 

Bartram,  William,  "Travels  through  North  and  South  Caro- 
lina, Georgia,  East  and  West  Florida";  Philadelphia: 
Printed  by  James  and  Johnson,  1791.  Reprinted  for  J. 
Johnson,  in  St.  Paul's  Churchyard,  1792. 


xviii 


Bibliography 

Biedma,  Luys  Hernandez  De,  "An  account  of,"  Vol.  II,  p.  2, 
Trail  Makers;  edited  by  Edward  Gaylord  Bourne,  New 
York,  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  1904. 

Binney,  Charles  C,  "Protest  against  the  Removal  of  Certain 
Restrictions  on  the  Alienation  of  Indian  Lands,"  pamphlet 
issued  by  Indian  Rights  Association,  Philadelphia,  1908. 

Bonaparte,  Charles  J.,  and  Clinton  R.  Woodruff,  report 
on  the  alleged  abuses  and  irregularities  in  the  public  service 
in  the  Indian  Territory;  Senate  Document  No.  189,  58th 
Congress,  2nd  Session,  February  20,  1904. 

Bossu,  Captain  M.  Jean  Bernard,  'Travels  through  that  Part 
of  North  America  called  Louisiana";  translated  from  the 
French  by  John  Keinhold  Forster;  printed  for  T.  Davis 
in  Raffel  St.,  Covent  Garden,  London,  1771.     (Rare.) 

Boudinot,  Elias,  "A  Star  in  the  West";  published  by  D.  Fen- 
ton,  S.  Huchinson,  and  J.  Dunham,  Trenton,  New  Jersey, 
1816. 

Bourne,  Edward  Gaylord,  "Narratives  of  the  Career  of  Hern- 
ando De  Soto"  (The  Trail  Makers)  (Vols.  I  and  II);  New 
York,  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  1904. 

Bradley,  Judge  Joseph  P.,  "Opinion  of,"  in  the  case  of  Chero- 
kee Tobacco  vs.  United  States,  11  Wallace  616,  20  L.  Ed.  227. 

Burke,  Charles  H.,  "Speech  of,  on  the  Mott  Report  Relative 
to  Indian  Guardianship,  etc.,"  in  Congress,  December  13, 
1912;  Government  Printing  Office,  Washington,  D.  C,  1912. 

Cantwell,  Harry  J.,  "Brief  and  Argument  before  the  Com- 
mittee on  Indian  Affairs,  etc."  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw 
Tribes,  61st  Congress,  2nd  Session.     (Pamphlet.) 

Carrington,  Dr.  Thomas  S.,  "Health  Conditions  among  the 
Alaskan  Indians  along  the  Yukon  and  Tanana  Rivers." 
Pamphlet  issued  by  Indian  Rights  Association,  Philadel- 
phia, 1914. 

Catron,  Chief  Justice  John,  "Opinion  of,"  in  the  case  of  the 
State  vs.  Foreman,  8  Yerger  256. 

xix 


Bibliography 

Chaplain,  The  (Regimental  Chaplain),  "The  Story  of  the 
Sixteenth  Infantry  in  France";  Printing-Office,  Martin 
Flock,  Montabaur,  Frankfort  o.  M.,  Germany,  1919. 

Chickasaw  Nation,  "Constitution  and  Laws,"  with  treaties 
from  1832  to  1866,  inclusive;  published  by  Davis  A.  Homer, 
The  Foley  Railway  Printing  Company,  Parsons,  Kansas, 
1899. 

Choate,  Joseph  H.,  Letter  of,  relating  to  proposed  legislation 
on  the  administration  of  Indian  affairs;  printed  in  the  Con- 
gressional Record,  April  7,  1916. 

Claiborne,  J.  F.  H.,  "Mississippi  as  a  Province,  Territory,  and 
State";  Powder  &  Barksdale,  Publishers  and  Printers, 
Jackson,   Mississippi,    1880. 

Colyar,  A.  S.,  "Life  and  Times  of  Andrew  Jackson,"  press  of 
Marshall  Bruce  &  Co.,  Nashville,  Tennessee,  1904. 

Cushman,  H.  B.,  "History  of  the  Choctaw,  Chickasaw,  and 
Natchez  Indians";  Headlight  Printing  House,  Greenville, 
Texas,  1899. 

Davis,  James  D.,  "History  of  the  City  of  Memphis,"  containing 
old  time  papers;  printed  by  Hite,  Crumpton  &  Kelly, 
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torical Society;  Oxford,  Mississippi.  Printed  for  the  Society, 
1904.     Also  an  article  on  Missions,  same  volume,  p.  571. 

Wesley,  John,  "Wesley's  Works,"  Vol.  3;  brought  out  by  John 
Emory,  New  York.  By  Carbton  and  Lanahan,  year  not 
given.     (Rare.) 

Williams,  Joseph  S.,  "Old  Times  in  West  Tennessee,"  remi- 
niscences, semi-historic;  W.  G.  Cheeney,  Memphis,  Tennes- 
see, 1873. 

Winsor,  Justin,  (Editor  of)  "Narrative  and  Critical  History  of 
America,"  Vols.  1,  2,  and  7;  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co., 
Boston  and  New  York  City;  The  Riverside  Press,  Cam- 
bridge. 

Winsor,  Justin,  "The  Mississippi  Basin";  Houghton,  Mifflin  and 
Co.,  Boston  and  New  York  City;  The  Riverside  Press, 
Cambridge,  1898. 

Young,  J.  P.,  "De  Soto  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,"  Publications 
of  the  Mississippi  Historical  Society,  Centenary  Series, 
Vol.  II,  p.  149;  Jackson,  Mississippi,  1918.  Printed  for  the 
Society. 

Young,  J.  P.,  "Fort  Prudhomme,"  Tennessee  Historical  Maga- 
zine for  iqi6,  p.  235. 

Young,  J.  P.,  "Standard  History  of  Memphis";  H.  W.  Crew  & 
Co.,  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  191 2. 

xxx 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 


CHAPTER  I 
AS  TO  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INDIANS 

When  Christopher  Columbus  sailed  from  Spain  in  August, 
1492,  going  westward  over  an  unexplored  sea,  the  expectation 
of  discovering  a  new  world  was  far  from  his  thoughts. 

It  had  for  years  been  the  dream  of  his  life  that  there  must 
be  land  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Atlantic,  and  that  by  sailing 
to  the  West  he  could  discover  a  nearer  route  to  India  than  was 
at  that  time  in  use. 

The  riches  of  India  were  believed  to  be  almost  boundless, 
and  Venice  and  other  centers  of  commerce  had  amassed  wealth 
in  trade  therewith ;  all  of  which  fired  the  imagination  of  Columbus, 
who  was  naturally  of  an  adventurous  disposition,  and  withal  a 
man  of  great  daring  and  ability. 

After  some  months  of  sailing  it  took  all  the  ingenuity  and 
address  of  the  great  sailor  to  prevent  an  open  mutiny  of  his 
crew,  consisting  of  120  men,  who  became  discouraged,  many  of 
them  fearing  that  they  would  be  cast  away  upon  what  seemed  to 
them  a  limitless  waste  of  desolate  waters. 

Finally  when  the  crew  was  almost  in  a  state  of  mutiny,  one 
night  Columbus  descried  a  light  and  soon  land  loomed  up  in 
the  distance,  and  then  the  vessels  lay  to,  until  next  day,  when 
they  were  overjoyed  to  behold  a  beautiful  forested  land  from 
which  friendly  savages,  perfectly  naked,  issued  forth,  looking 
upon  the  white  men  and  their  vessels  with  evident  astonishment. 

Attired  in  scarlet  Columbus  with  his  principal  officers  and 
men  bearing  the  standards  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  were 
soon  on  the  land,  when  the  admiral  fell  on  his  knees,  kissed  the 
earth  and  returned  thanks  for  his  safe  deliverance  with  tears  of 
joy;  and  his  example  being  followed  by  his  men,  he  arose  and 
with  sword  in  hand  declared  that  he  took  possession  of  the 
country  in  the  name  of  his  king  and  queen. 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

In  so  doing  he  ignored  the  rights  of  the  aborigines,  whose 
ancestors  had  possessed  the  country  as  their  own  from  time 
immemorial. 

He  claimed  the  country  by  what  is  termed  the  right  of 
discovery,  or  which  might  otherwise  be  termed  the  right  of 
might. 

Long  years  afterwards  in  the  year  1823,  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States  through  Chief  Justice  Marshall  solemnly 
adjudged  that  in  point  of  law  the  Indians  had  no  real  title  to  the 
country  they  occupied,  but  that  European  nations  secured  the 
title  thereto  by  right  of  original  discovery,  which  was  the  subject 
of  barter  and  sale,  regardless  of  the  rights  and  claims  of  the 
aborigines  who  for  ages  had  occupied,  claimed,  and  owned  dis- 
tinct and  separate  parts  of  the  new  world.  (See  the  case  of 
Johnson  vs.  Mcintosh,    8  Wheaton,  543.) 

Columbus  named  the  island  on  which  he  landed  San  Sal- 
vador, and  thinking  that  it  was  a  part  of  India,  he  called  the 
inhabitants  Indians,  and  this  designation  has  clung  to  the 
aborigines  of  America  to  this  day,  and  will  doubtless  endure 
for  all  time. 

This  is  but  one  instance  illustrating  that,  when  an  error  has 
once  fixed  itself  in  the  popular  mind,  it  is  next  to  impossible  to 
correct  it.  In  this  instance  the  error  is  harmless;  but  in  other 
departments  of  the  many  factors  which  go  towards  making  up 
the  onward  march  of  civilization,  like  errors  and  delusions  have 
greatly  delayed  progress  in* many  of  the  activities  of  human  life. 

This  memorable  voyage  of  Columbus  was  the  signal  that 
soon  brought  forth  many  adventurous  sailors,  who  sailed  the 
seas  over  in  the  quest  of  fortune  and  fame;  but  years  rolled  by 
before  it  was  known  that  in  point  of  fact  a  new  world  had  been 
discovered. 

Amerigo  Vespucci,  among  others  having  crossed  the  ocean 
to  the  main  land  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  so  impressed  his 
contemporaries  with  reports  of  his  discoveries,  that  the  new 
world  became  his  namesake,  and  ever  since  has  been  known  as 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

America,  an  honor  undeserved  and  that  should  have  been  be- 
stowed upon  Columbus,  but  instead  he  was  rewarded  with 
poverty  and  chains. 

It  was  not  until  years  afterwards  that  Ferdinand  Magellan 
succeeded  in  passing  around  the  southern  extremity  of  America, 
and  gave  his  name  to  the  wild  and  dangerous  straits  through 
which  he  passed  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  the 
latter  to  this  day  bears  the  name  he  gave  it. 

His  dream  was  to  prove  that  this  world  on  which  we  live  is 
a  globe,  but  his  dream  ended  with  his  life,  April  27,  1 521,  in  the 
Philippine  Islands  which  he  discovered. 

Fortunately  his  lieutenant,  Sebastine  d'Elcano,  proved  a 
worthy  successor  to  the  great  Magellan,  and  succeeding  to  the 
command,  he  sailed  onward  and  after  discovering  many  islands, 
finally  doubled  the  southern  extremity  of  the  African  continent 
and  returned  to  the  port  from  which  he  sailed,  thereby  proving 
to  be  true  the  theory  of  Magellan,  and  which  in  turn  proved  that 
America  was  a  new  world  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt. 

Magellan  had  sailed  with  five  ships,  but  only  one,  the  San 
Vittoria,  circled  the  earth,  arriving  at  St.  Lucar  near  Seville, 
September  7,  1522,  after  a  voyage  of  more  than  three  years. 

She  had  accomplished  the  greatest  achievement  in  the 
history  of  the  world  up  to  that  time,  for  she  had  circumnavigated 
the  globe.  The  tremendous  importance  of  this  great  voyage, 
and  its  effect  upon  the  intellectual  development  of  mankind  lies 
far  beyond  the  scope  of  these  pages. 

The  wise  men,  philosophers,  and  especially  the  ecclesiastical 
world,  were  thrown  into  a  great  discussion  to  account  for  a  new 
world,  peopled  by  many  tribes  and  nations  theretofore  unknown, 
and  likewise  forested  with  innumerable  new  trees  and  plants 
through  which  roamed  countless  new  animals,  while  the  air  was 
filled  with  birds  and  a  feathered  tribe  totally  unknown  in  the 
old  world. 

The  question  debated  was  as  to  when  and  where  all  of 
these  things  were  created,  and  especially  were  they  created  as  a 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

part  of  the  acts  of  that  six  days'  creation  set  forth  in  the  sacred 
writings  of  the  Christian  religion. 

To  doubt  that  all  men  were  the  descendants  of  Adam  and 
Eve  was  to  deny  the  authenticity  of  the  Scriptures,  and  would 
probably  have  put  in  jeopardy  the  liberty  or  life  of  one  so  bold 
as  to  raise  such  a  question. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  now  to  realize  how  profoundly  the 
question  as  to  the  origin  of  the  American  aborigines  affected  the 
learned  men  and  ecclesiastics  of  that  time,  and  even  in  com- 
paratively modern  days. 

One  of  the  early  and  favorite  theories  was  a  suggestion  or 
argument  put  forth  that  when  the  ark  of  Noah  finally  rested  on 
Mount  Ararat  that  by  unknown  means  some  of  its  passengers 
became  shipwrecked,  so  to  speak,  and  in  due  course  of  time  some 
of  them  reached  the  new  world,  and  that  the  Indians  were  their 
descendants.     Volumes  were  written  to  sustain  this  view. 

Other  authors  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  the  re- 
mote past  Diodorus  Siculus  relates  that  the  ancient  Phoenicians 
discovered  a  large  island  in  the  Atlantic  far  beyond  the  pillars  of 
Hercules,  which  abounded  in  all  kinds  of  riches.  Plutarch 
mentions  what  Plato  said  as  to  the  information  given  in  respect 
thereto  by  Egyptian  priests.  This  is  what  is  sometimes  called  the 
fabled  Atlantis.  Many  believe  even  to  this  day  that  there  was 
such  an  island  known  as  the  Atlantis,  which  formerly  adjoined 
other  islands,  so  that  America  might  have  been  peopled  from 
Europe  by  persons  going  from  one  island  to  another  until  the 
American  continent  was  reached.  The  Azores  islands  are  sup- 
posed by  some  to  be  the  tops  of  the  mountains  on  the  Atlantis 
island  at  the  time  a  great  submergence  took  place  in  some 
prehistoric  period.  I  was  in  the  Azores  in  1 91 2,  and  to  me  the 
island  had  a  mountainous  aspect. 

Another  theory,  and  the  one  probably  most  written  of  and 
advocated  by  learned  writers,  is  to  the  effect  that  the  Indians 
were  the  descendants  of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel;  that  is,  that  they 
are  the  lineal  descendants  of  the  Jews.     Among  these  writers  I 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

read  only  one,  viz. :  that  of  James  Adair,  who  published  a  lengthy 
account  of  the  American  Indians  in  London  in  1775,  which  has 
never  been  republished  and  is  a  rare  book. 

Adair  was  an  English  trader  and  commenced  to  trade  with 
the  Indians  in  1735,  and  first  traded  with  the  Chickasaws  in 
1744,  among  whom  he  wrote  the  greater  part  of  his  book. 

The  book  contains  404  pages,  of  which  220  pages  consist 
of  what  he  denominates  "arguments"  in  proof  of  his  theory  that 
the  Indians  are  descendants  of  the  Jews.  There  are  twenty- 
three  of  these  "arguments,"  each  being  about  the  usual  length 
of  an  ordinary  chapter.  Adair  was  as  perfectly  conversant  with 
the  marriage,  divorce,  inheritance,  burial,  and  all  other  rites,  laws, 
and  customs  of  the  Chickasaws  and  neighboring  nations,  as 
a  white  man  could  well  be;  and  at  the  same  time  he  was  perfectly 
conversant  with  the  Old  Testament;  and  the  ingenuity  dis- 
played by  him  in  an  endeavor  to  show  a  similarity  between  the 
ancient  customs  and  laws  of  the  Jews  with  those  of  the  Indians 
is  worthy  of  admiration. 

John  R.  Swanton,  of  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology, 
wrote  me  on  March  21,  191 7,  that  by  all  odds  the  best  account 
of  the  Chickasaw  Indians  was  the  work  of  Adair,  even  though 
it  was  marred  by  his  "arguments"  in  favor  of  his  favorite  theory, 
for  he  knew  the  Chickasaws  at  first  hand,  and  wrote  what  he  saw 
and  heard. 

In  addition  to  the  above  theories  there  are  two  documents, 
one  of  Chinese  and  the  other  of  Scandinavian  origin,  which 
undertake  to  relate  the  discovery  of  a  country,  the  first  by  the 
Chinese  early  in  the  Christian  era,  wherein  the  kingdom  of 
Fu-Sang  was  established,  and  it  is  claimed  Fu-Sang  was  upon 
American  soil,  hence  the  descent  of  the  Indians  from  the  Chinese. 

The  Scandinavian  Vikings  early  discovered  Iceland,  and  it 
is  recorded  in  the  sagas  that  about  the  year  981  A.  D.,  Eric  the 
Red,  an  outlaw  of  Ireland,  discovered  Greenland,  and  the  same 
sagas  or  written  legends  which  set  forth  these  discoveries  also 
relate  that  subsequent  thereto  the  Vikings  made  frequent  visits 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

to  the  south  to  a  land  which  had  been  discovered  there  by  one 
Bjarni,  and  which  was  given  the  name  of  Vinland  about  the 
year  985  A.  D. 

There  is  much  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  trustworthiness 
of  either  the  Chinese  or  Scandinavian  accounts. 

There  is  a  theory  also  that  America  was  settled  by  Japanese, 
as  many  Japanese  junks  have  drifted  to  the  American  coast, 
some  empty,  and  some  with  men,  but  it  is  said  there  is  no  evidence 
of  a  Japanese  woman  having  ever  arrived  in  this  way. 

A  cold  current  flows  from  the  arctic  regions  down  southward 
by  China,  hence  it  is  said  no  Chinese  wreckage  has  ever  reached 
American  soil.  On  the  other  hand,  what  we  call  the  Japanese 
current  flows  northwestward  near  the  Japanese  islands,  and  as 
the  current  runs  at  the  rate  of  some  ten  miles  an  hour,  wreckage 
could  well  reach  America. 

While  the  origin  of  our  Indians  is  by  no  means  definitely 
known,  still  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  that  their  original 
ancestors  came  across  Bering  Strait  from  Asia  to  Alaska  at 
some  very  remote  period.  The  straits  dividing  the  continents 
are  variously  estimated  to  be  only  from  thirty-six  to  fifty-six  miles 
across,  and  in  addition  there  are  in  it  two  islands  of  some  con- 
siderable extent,  and  these  are  about  midway  between  the  shores  of 
the  two  continents  and  are  known  as  the  Diomede  Islands,  and  are 
inhabited  by  Eskimos.  Besides,  the  straits  are  often  frozen  over  in 
winter,  so  that  the  hardy  natives  would  find  no  difficulty  what- 
ever in  crossing  on  the  ice  from  Siberia  to  Alaska. 

In  1906,  my  wife  and  I  were  in  Nome,  Alaska,  and  after 
going  upon  the  steamer  Olympia  to  sail  for  Seattle,  a  large  open 
boat  came  alongside  containing  a  jolly  family  of  Eskimos  with 
the  peculiarity  that  the  heads  of  the  men  were  shaved  on  top; 
and  upon  calling  attention  to  this  I  was  told  these  people  were 
from  the  Diomede  Islands,  it  being  the  custom  of  the  men  there 
to  shave  the  top  of  the  head,  and  that  these  people  often  came 
down  the  coast  several  hundred  miles  to  visit  at  Nome  and  further 
down  the  coast. 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

Previously  on  the  same  trip,  after  landing  at  Skagway,  we 
crossed  over  the  coast  mountains  on  the  Yukon  and  White  Pass 
Railroad,  and  we  reached  White  Horse,  on  the  Thirty-mile  River 
at  the  foot  of  the  White  Horse  Rapids,  where  we  took  a  steamer 
for  Dawson  City,  the  commercial  and  political  capital  of  the 
Yukon  territory,  where  we  remained  about  one  week. 
Taking  another  vessel,  we  continued  our  voyage  down  the  great 
Yukon  River  to  Fort  Gibbon,  where  we  changed  to  another 
steamer  which  carried  us  to  St.  Michaels,  in  the  Bering  Sea,  and 
which  is  the  entrepot  for  the  Yukon  River  country.  There  we 
stopped  a  few  days  with  the  family  of  a  friend,  Walter  Chidester, 
a  very  capable  and  observant  man,  then  the  agent  for  a  great 
commercial  concern  in  that  distant  part  of  the  world. 

I  had  been  much  interested  in  the  long  voyage  of  2,000  miles 
down  the  Yukon  to  observe  what  I  could  with  respect  to  the 
native  Indians,  though  not  many  were  to  be  seen.  As  we  ap- 
proached the  sea,  say  for  about  150  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  it  was  extremely  interesting  to  me  to  observe  how  the 
Indians  gradually  shaded  off  into  the  Eskimo  type.  The 
change  appeared  in  the  native  garments,  especially  in  the  parka 
of  the  Eskimo,  and  in  the  little  igloos  shaped  like  beehives  and 
well  known  from  pictures  we  so  often  see. 

Mr.  Chidester  informed  me  that  there  were  several  en- 
campments of  Eskimos  on  the  seashore  near  his  house,  and  that 
these  hardy  natives  came  from  Asia  along  the  Arctic  Sea,  and 
thought  nothing  of  crossing  Bering  Strait  and  coming  down  the 
coast  of  Alaska,  a  distance  of  500  miles,  on  a  kind  of  summer  trip. 
Next  morning  we  went  down  to  view  the  encampment.  The 
boats  they  came  in  did  not  contain  a  piece  of  metal,  and  doubtless 
were  of  the  same  pattern  and  kind  used  from  the  most  remote  times. 
The  boats  were,  according  to  my  estimate,  some  forty  feet  long, 
and  wide  and  deep  in  proportion  to  the  length.  The  framework 
consisted  of  driftwood  lashed  together  with  rawhide,  and  the 
sides  or  hull  was  rough  walrus  rawhide,  and,  of  course,  entirely 
waterproof. 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

On  leaving  their  homes  in  Siberia,  all  they  had  to  do  was  to 
launch  their  boat,  pile  in  it  their  children  and  dogs  with  such 
provisions  and  cooking  utensils  as  they  had,  and  nothing  re- 
mained except  to  paddle  across  the  straits,  and  thence  enjoy  as 
happy  a  voyage  down  the  coast  as  is  given  to  the  children  of 
Nature. 

The  Eskimos  have  the  slanting  eyes  of  the  Japanese  and 
Chinese,  and  are  generally  plump,  very  pleasing  in  their  de- 
meanor, and  many  of  them  were  very  good  looking,  some  of  the 
women  having  a  dignified,  matronly  appearance;  and  it  was  said 
no  Eskimo  was  ever  seen  to  strike  a  child. 

We  arrived  at  Nome  on  Saturday  and  that  night,  under  the 
electric  lights  of  that  outpost  of  civilization,  the  streets  were 
full  of  Eskimos  of  all  sexes  and  ages,  dressed  in  varicolored  furs, 
and  these  with  miners  and  prospectors  from  many  parts  of  the 
earth  presented  one  of  the  most  picturesque  scenes  I  ever  looked 
upon. 

As  is  well  known,  the  Laps  inhabit  the  northern  arctic 
regions  of  Norway,  Sweden,  and  a  portion  of  Russia,  their  country 
being  usually  denominated  Lapland.  While  they  succeeded  in 
domesticating  the  reindeer,  still  they  have  no  organized  govern- 
ment, and  owe  allegiance  to  the  various  countries  in  which  they 
live. 

All  ethnologists  agree  that  the  Laps  are  in  no  way  connected 
with  the  Eskimos,  but  are  probably  related  to  the  Finns,  both 
being  a  branch  of  the  Asiatic  Mongolian  race,  about  whose 
origin  little  is  known. 

The  best  theory  seems  to  be  that  the  Laps  in  remote  ages 
lived  further  south  and  were  gradually  driven  north  by  their 
more  powerful  neighbors,  and  in  course  of  time  the  only  asylum 
that  could  afford  them  protection  was  the  frozen  North,  which 
accordingly  became  their  permanent  home. 

On  the  shores  of  Arctic  Asia  the  Eskimos  commence  and 
continue  not  only  across  the  Bering  Strait,  but  they  inhabit  all 
of   the   Northern   shores   and   islands   of   North   America,   and 

8 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

extend  as  far  as  Greenland,  which  is  far  out  in  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  It  was  once  a  question  how  the  Eskimos  could  get  to 
Greenland,  but  it  seems  to  be  now  well  agreed  that  they  could 
cross  on  the  ice,  and  if  need  be,  aided  by  their  water  craft. 

The  Eskimos  stretch  over  a  distance  of  some  thousands  of 
miles,  counting  from  those  who  live  in  Asia  on  eastward  to  Green- 
land, the  Arctic  Islands,  and  lands  in  the  far  frozen  North;  and 
it  seems  to  be  agreed  that  their  speech  shows  a  common  origin. 
No  other  uncivilized  people  have  ever  been  known  to  inhabit  a 
country  so  extensive  in  length,  and  in  all  probability  there  is  no 
intercourse  between  those  separated  by  great  distances.  It 
would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  Eskimos  on  the  arctic  shores  of 
Asia  were  driven  there  by  their  Mongolian  neighbors  in  the 
south,  which  finally  became  their  home,  as  the  Laps  found  a 
home  on  the  northern  shores  of  Arctic  Europe.  The  features  of 
the  Eskimos  are  of  the  Mongolian  type  and  I  do  not  think  there 
can  be  a  reasonable  doubt  that  they  are  of  Mongolian  origin. 
It  is  true  that  they  have  their  peculiar  characteristics,  but  their 
mode  of  life  for  ages  in  the  arctic  regions,  with  the  intense 
struggle  for  existence  peculiar  to  that  life  would  necessarily  show 
variations  from  the  original  type. 

All  the  Eskimos  I  have  seen  appeared  to  better  advantage 
both  in  person  and  general  deportment,  as  well  as  in  the  souvenirs 
of  their  own  make  which  they  offered  for  sale,  than  did  the  Laps 
whom  I  saw  in  northern  Norway  in  191 2,  on  a  visit  we  made 
that  year  to  the  North  Cape,  commonly  called  the  land  of  the 
midnight  sun. 

Those  Laps  had  a  scrawny,  dirty  appearance,  and  the 
trinkets  offered  for  sale  seemed  to  me  far  inferior  to  the  handi- 
work of  the  Eskimos. 

That  the  Indians  of  North  America  are  either  the  descend- 
ants of  Eskimos  or  Asiatics  I  scarcely  think  is  doubtful.  While 
the  great  Yukon  River  flows  for  the  most  part  through  a  great 
plateau,  with  considerable  forests  on  its  banks,  still  these 
trees    gradually    fade    away   into  mere  scrub,  within,  say,  one 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

hundred  miles  of  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  evident  reason 
is  that  trees  can  not  grow  on  the  desolate  tundras  near  the 
sea,  precisely  as  no  trees  are  to  be  found  on  the  shores  of  the 
Arctic  Ocean. 

I  was  told  that  Eskimos  lived  on  the  desolate  lower  reaches 
of  the  Yukon,  and  in  fact  saw  their  igloos  and  could  distinguish 
them  by  the  parkas  they  wore.  As  is  well  known,  Eskimos 
depend  upon  the  seals,  the  walrus,  and  an  occasional  whale,  and 
other  denizens  of  the  sea;  whereas  the  Indian  proper  depends 
upon  the  creatures  of  the  land  for  a  subsistence. 

The  struggle  for  existence  in  either  mode  of  life  is  severe  and 
would  necessarily  produce  many  variations  from  the  original 
type. 

All  travelers  report  that  the  greatest  antipathy  exists 
between  Eskimos  and  the  Indians,  who  sometimes  stray  upon 
the  hunting  grounds  of  each  other.  The  Eskimos  are  often  at 
enmity,  the  one  tribe  with  another.  Nothing  is  better  known 
than  that  neighboring  tribes  of  Indians  were  constantly  at  war, 
which  is  the  case  with  practically  all  uncivilized  peoples,  and 
also  the  practice  is  not  unknown  among  those  nations  who  claim 
to  be  the  leaders  of  civilization. 

It  is  well  known  that  uncivilized  peoples  who  depend  upon 
the  chase  for  sustenance,  are  nearly  always  nomads,  spending 
months  at  a  time  on  distant  journeys,  following  up  the  game 
which  furnishes  them  food  and  raiment. 

How  easy  would  it  be  for  a  tribe  forced  up  the  Yukon  by 
its  enemies,  or  which  should  take  a  notion  to  spy  out  a  happier 
hunting  ground,  to  go  in  their  canoes  to  the  upper  reaches  of  the 
Yukon  in  the  summer  time.  Here  they  would  find  not  only  an 
abundance  of  fish  in  the  river  and  its  tributaries,  as  well  as  water 
fowl,  but  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  there  were  to  be  found 
millions  of  caribou,  as  well  as  the  lordly  moose,  not  to  mention 
other  game.  It  is  true  the  caribou  migrate  and  at  times  go  to 
the  south,  but  it  is  well  known  that  savage  people  follow  migrat- 
ing animals,  and  by  following  these  to  their  winter  homes  it 

10 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

would  be  but  a  short  step  to  find  the  countless  herds  of  North 
American  buffalo  or  bison,  which  stretched  from  Arctic  America 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Again  it  is  but  112  miles  from  the  upper  point  of  navigation 
on  the  headwaters  of  the  Yukon  to  Skagway  on  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  where  the  sea  never  freezes  over,  and  how  easy  would  it 
be  for  the  aborigines  to  cross  the  intervening  range  of  mountains 
is  shown  from  the  fact  that  it  is  now  crossed  on  a  railway  train. 

The  Peace  River  country  now  in  British  Columbia,  though 
far  north,  has  a  comparatively  mild  climate,  owing  to  the  warm 
Chinook  winds  which  blow  over  the  Japan  currents  of  the  Pacific 
and  reach  that  country.  This  country  would  be  a  kind  of  half- 
way house  between  the  arctic  regions  and  the  warmer  parts  of  the 
country  stretching  toward  the  far  South,  for  migrating  bands  of 
savages. 

In  considering  the  possibility  or  probability  of  the  settle- 
ment in  America  of  the  Indians,  first  coming  across  by  way  of 
Bering  Strait,  we  should  not  consider  the  subject  from  the 
standpoint  of  a  few  hundred  years,  but  upon  the  assumption  that 
in  all  probability  it  took  some  thousands  of  years  for  the  settle- 
ment of  the  American  continents. 

Given  sufficient  time  the  dispersion  might  well  cover  the 
whole  continent;  and  as  a  climate,  the  productions  of  the  soil, 
and  other  conditions  which  make  it  easier  to  subsist  and  give 
leisure  for  thought  and  reflection  have  always  been  the  means 
by  which  men  have  first  discarded  savagery  and  laid  the  founda- 
tion stone  for  ultimate  civilization,  we  can  realize  why  it  was 
that  there  once  existed  in  Peru  and  Mexico  a  civilization  un- 
known on  the  North  American  continent. 

The  warm  climate  and  other  favoring  conditions  in  those 
parts  of  America  where  there  once  existed  a  prehistoric  civiliza- 
tion have  often  been  compared  to  like  climatic  conditions  in  the 
valley  of  the  Nile  and  of  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  where,  so  far 
as  we  know,  our  civilization  had  its  beginning. 

It  may  be  remarked  here  that  the  Natchez  Indians  who 

11 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

gave  their  name  to  the  city  of  Natchez  in  southern  Mississippi 
on  the  banks  of  the  great  river  of  that  name  were  further 
advanced  in  their  form  of  government  and  an  organized  society 
than  any  other  tribe  of  Indians  who  dwelt  within  the  boundaries 
of  the  United  States.  No  doubt  the  warm  climate  and  favoring 
conditions  of  life  were  prime  factors  in  the  elevation  of  this 
unfortunate  people,  who  were  almost  exterminated  by  the  French, 
and  as  we  will  see,  the  remnants  of  that  once  noted  tribe  found 
an  asylum  and  a  home  among  the  intrepid  Chickasaws,  who 
haughtily  and  successfully  defied  all  the  powers  of  the  French 
when  they  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  Natchez  from  the 
Chickasaws. 

I  have  never  seen  the  ruins  of  South  or  Central  America  that 
have  been  uncovered  and  so  extensively  written  about  and 
photographed,  especially  in  these  later  years. 

I  passed  on  the  train  near  the  earth  pyramids  not  far  from 
Mexico  City,  and  saw  in  that  city  the  great  Calendar  stone  and 
other  remnants  of  a  past  civilization.  In  the  same  year  (1908) 
we  went  down  to  the  State  of  Oaxaca,  far  south  of  Mexico  City, 
to  see  the  ruins  of  Mitla,  which  are  not  far  distant  from  Oaxaca. 
No  one  can  view  these  ruins  except  with  feelings  of  astonishment ; 
and  yet  we  are  told  that  when  Cortez  first  passed  through  that 
country  about  1520,  that  the  half  barbarous  people  who  lived 
near  these  ruins  had  no  more  knowledge  as  to  who  were  the 
builders  of  the  splendid  solid  stone  edifice  which  once  adorned 
that  country  than  have  the  half  naked  Indians  we  saw  there. 

Between  the  city  of  Oaxaca  and  the  ruins  of  Mitla  stands 
the  celebrated  Tule  tree,  said  to  be  the  oldest  and  largest  tree  in 
the  world.  It  measures  154  feet  in  circumference  and  was  of 
sufficient  importance  to  attract  the  attention  of  Alexander  Von 
Humboldt,  who  placed  a  tablet  on  the  tree  commemorative  of 
his  visit  (as  I  remember)  in  1804,  a  part  of  which  has  been  covered 
by  new  growth  of  the  tree,  which  still  continues  to  grow. 

It  was  on  this  trip  that  Humboldt  traveled  over  South 
America,  and  thence  northward  up  through  Central  America, 

12 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

Mexico,  and  into  the  United  States.  He  traveled  over  most  of 
the  world,  especially  through  the  remote  and  uncivilized  coun- 
tries, was  learned  in  almost  every  branch  of  knowledge  and  was 
one  of  the  greatest  intellectualities  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
Probably  no  man  was  better  capacitated  to  express  an  opinion  as 
to  the  origin  of  the  American  Indians  than  Humboldt. 

In  Vol.  i,  p.  13,  of  The  Great  Republic  by  Master  His- 
torians, Humboldt  is  quoted  as  saying: 

"It  appears  most  evident  to  me  that  the  monuments, 
methods  of  computing  time,  systems  of  cosmogony,  and  many 
myths  of  America,  offer  striking  analogies  with  the  ideas  of 
eastern  Asia — analogies  which  indicate  an  ancient  communica- 
tion, and  are  not  simply  the  result  of  that  uniform  condition  in 
which  all  nations  are  found  in  the  dawn  of  civilization." 

When  Cortez  with  fire  and  sword  and  a  savagery  rivaling 
Attila,  "The  Scourge  of  God,"  destroyed  the  Montezumas  of 
Mexico  City,  at  the  same  time  and  under  the  plea  of  destroying 
paganism  and  extending  the  Christian  religion  he  likewise 
destroyed  all  the  the  records  of  the  civilization  which  he  found 
in  Mexico.  In  all  probability  the  loss  caused  by  this  destruc- 
tion robbed  mankind  of  the  only  clue  which  might  have  led  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  origin  of  the  American  aborigines. 

In  the  present  state  of  knowledge,  the  conclusion  of  Hum- 
boldt is  about  all  that  can  now  be  said  with  any  degree  of  cer- 
tainty upon  this  most  interesting  subject. 


13 


CHAPTER  II 
AS  TO  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  CHICKASAW  NATION 

As  we  have  seen,  the  origin  of  the  race  of  the  American 
Indian  is  wrapped  in  mystery,  so  likewise  when  we  endeavor  to 
trace  the  early  history  of  the  Chickasaw  nation  as  an  integral 
part  of  the  Indian  race,  we  will  likewise  find  that  we  are  without 
authentic  history  and  must  depend  upon  legends  and  traditions 
as  our  only  sources  of  information. 

I  am  by  no  means  unmindful  of  the  weakness,  not  to 
say  untrustworthiness,  of  this  kind  of  evidence;  nevertheless, 
having  no  other,  we  will  briefly  look  to  these  sources  as  fur- 
nishing some  slight  indication  as  to  the  earliest  home  of  the 
Chickasaws. 

There  are  several  versions  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
Chickasaws  reached  their  home  in  what  is  now  north  Mississippi, 
and  there  found  an  abiding  place.  De  Soto  was  the  first  white 
man  to  enter  their  country  in  December,  1540,  and  there  they 
were  again  found,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  a  century,  by  the 
first  white  men  who  explored  their  country. 

It  seems  to  me  that  these  traditions  point  to  Old  Mexico 
as  the  original  home  of  the  Chickasaws. 

I  have  referred  to  Adair  as  an  authority  on  Chickasaw 
history,  and  next  to  him,  I  regard  H.  B.  Cushman  as  probably 
the  most  reliable  of  those  who  have  given  accounts  of  the  Chicka- 
saws.    Lincecum  is  also  a  good  authority. 

In  1899  Cushman  published  a  volume  of  607  pages,  entitled 
History  of  the  Choctaw,  Chickasaw,  and  Natchez  Indians, 
the  Greenville,  Texas,  Headlight  Printing  House  being  the 
publisher,  the  paper  being  very  poor  but  the  type  good.  I  had 
difficulty  in  procuring  a  copy  of  the  book,  which  I  finally  did 

14 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

through  the  efforts  of  my  friend,  W.  W.  Alsobrook,  who  had 
resided  many  years  in  Greenville,  and  who  was  told  by  a  niece  of 
Cushman  that  he  died  in  1904. 

Cushman  states  that  his  parents  left  Massachusetts  in  1820, 
and  went  to  the  Choctaw  Indians  as  missionaries,  among  whom 
they  labored  the  balance  of  their  lives,  and  died  the  sincere  and 
admiring  friends  of  the  red  men  of  the  forest;  that  he  was 
reared  among  the  Indians  and  was  intimately  acquainted  with 
them  during  the  vicissitudes  of  a  life  extending  to  near  four  score 
of  years ;  that  he  had  obtained  in  these  years  a  fund  of  information 
not  theretofore  published,  and  he  evidently  deemed  it  a  sacred 
duty  to  place  it  in  permanent  form  for  the  benefit  of  posterity, 
and  especially  in  justice  to  the  Indians  whom  he  admired  and 
loved  so  much. 

The  wrongs  and  injustices  towards  the  Indians  by  white 
men  evidently  so  oppressed  the  mind  and  sympathies  of  Cushman 
that  throughout  his  lengthy  book  he  constantly  declaims  against 
the  oppressors  of  the  Indians,  and  in  this  way  detracts  from  the 
value  of  his  conclusions  as  an  impartial  historian.  However,  his 
perfect  sincerity  and  honesty  of  purpose  in  stating  exactly  what 
he  saw  and  heard  cannot  be  doubted. 

There  is  no  index  or  even  chapters  to  his  book,  and  it  would 
seem  that  the  one  thought  constantly  with  him  was  to  put  in 
permanent  form  not  only  all  he  knew  about  the  Choctaws, 
Chickasaws,  and  Natchez  Indians  but  to  weave  into  his  book 
what  he  knew  of  other  Indians,  together  with  his  conclusions  with 
respect  to  the  treatment  of  the  Indians  in  general  by  the  white 
men  of  this  country. 

The  first  414  pages  of  the  book  are  devoted  to  the  Choctaws; 
the  next  115  pages  to  the  Chickasaws,  and  the  remainder  to  the 
Natchez  Indians,  and  various  other  subjects. 

I  have  thus  referred  to  Adair,  Cushman,  and  Lincecum, 
because  I  intend  to  quote  from  them  liberally  as  authentic 
sources  of  information,  which  I  do  the  more  readily  as  the  first 
two  are  practically  out  of  the  reach  of  the  general  reading  public. 

15 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

How  the  Indians  Preserved  Historical  Events— 

The  impression  is  general  that  the  Indians  were  without  any 
means  of  recording  matters  of  great  interest  or  import,  and  that 
they  depended  entirely  upon  their  memories  in  transmitting 
current  events  to  posterity,  but  Cushman  says: 

"As  aids  to  memory  they  used  various  devices,  among  which 
belts  of  wampum  were  the  chief.  Wampum  was  truly  the 
archives  of  the  tribe  among  all  North  American  Indians.  It  was 
made  of  dressed  deer  skin,  soft  and  pliable  as  cloth,  and  inter- 
woven with  various  shells  cut  into  uniform  size,  carefully  polished, 
strung  together  and  painted  in  different  colors,  all  of  which  were 
significant;  white  being  the  emblem  of  peace  and  friendship;  red, 
the  symbol  of  hostility  and  war.  As  the  colors  of  the  wampum 
were  significant,  so  also  were  the  length  and  breadth  of  these  belts, 
and  also  the  peculiar  arrangements  of  the  differently  painted 
strings  attached,  each  and  all  fully  understood  by  the  Indians 
alone.  A  belt  of  wampum  was  presented  to  one  tribe  by  another 
as  a  remembrance  token  of  any  important  event  that  was  com- 
municated. They  had  many  and  various  kinds  of  wampum; 
some  in  the  form  of  belts  of  different  breadth  and  length;  some 
in  strings  of  various  width  and  length,  all  reaching  back  in  regular 
order  to  centuries  of  the  remote  past,  with  an  accuracy  in- 
credible to  the  White  Race. 

"The  wampum  was  the  Indians'  history,  the  chronicles  of  the 
past;  and  the  leaders  of  each  clan  of  the  tribe,  from  one  generation 
to  another,  were  carefully  and  thoroughly  instructed  by  their 
predecessors  for  that  particular  business  and  were  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  all  Indians  everywhere. 

"Pictures,  rudely  carved  on  rocks  and  trees,  were  used  to 
convey  information,  each  figure  being  a  true  symbol  understood 
and  fully  comprehended  by  the  Indians  wherever  seen."  (See 
pages  35-36.) 

It  is  evident  that  this  mode  of  recording  current  events  was 
far  from  perfect,  and  was  liable  to  many  misinterpretations. 

Traditions  of  a  Western  Origin— 

All  agree,  however,  that  the  Chickasaws  belonged  to  the 
Muskhogean  family  of  Indians,  the  family  name  being  spelled 

16 


i|;A«i) 


/** 


^m^  *to&''W[' 


l^m^fms^^mf^^*^0^ 


/ 


^^ 


The  above  pictograph  is  taken  from  Bernard  Roman's  Natural  History  of 
East  and  West  Florida.  He  visited  the  Chickasaws  in  1771.  Explaining  the  above 
pictograph  (p.  102)  he  says:  "To  give  an  idea  of  Indian  hieroglyphick  painting,  I 
have  subjoined  the  two  following  cuts;  the  first  is  a  painting  in  the  Creek  taste,  it 
means,  that  ten  of  that  nation  of  the  Stag  family  came  in  canoes  into  their  enemy 
country,  that  six  of  the  party  near  this  place,  which  was  at  Oopah  Ullah,  a  brook 
so  called  on  the  road  to  the  Chactaws,  had  met  two  men,  and  two  women  with  a 
dog,  that  they  lay  in  ambush  for  them,  killed  them,  and  that  they  all  went  home 
with  the  four  scalps;  the  scalp  in  the  stag's  foot  implies  the  honour  of  the  action 
to  the  whole  family. 

"The  second  is  Chactaw,  and  means  that  an  expedition  by  seventy  men,  led 
by  seven  principal  warriors,  and  eight  of  inferior  rank,  had  in  an  action  killed 
nine  of  their  enemies,  of  which  they  brought  the  scalps,  and  that  the  place  where 
it  was  marked  was  the  first  publick  place  in  their  territories  where  they  arrived 
with  the  scalps." 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

variously,  as  Muscogee,   Muskogee,  Muskhogies,   Muscogulgee, 
etc. 

The  principal  nations  composing  the  Muskhogeans  were 
the  Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  Creek  and  Chockchoomas ;  and 
the  country  occupied  by  them  extended  from  the  gulf  of 
Mexico  up  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi  River,  then  up  the 
Ohio  to  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  Tennessee  and  Cumber- 
land Rivers,  and  on  eastward  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  East 
Tennessee  and  the  mountainous  portions  of  Georgia,  Virginia, 
and  Kentucky  were  occupied  by  the  warlike  and  fierce  Cherokees, 
who  constituted  a  Southern  branch  of  the  Iroquois  Indians, 
whose  main  country  lay  further  north. 

There  were  included  in  the  above  general  description  of  the 
Muskhogean  country  many  small  tribes  who  were  not  Muskho- 
geans; such  as  the  noted  Natchez  Indians,  the  Biloxis,  Tunicas, 
Tensas,  Yazoos,  Koroas,  and  Pascagoulas,  but  the  members  of 
these  tribes  were  for  the  most  part  inconsiderable,  while  the 
Muskhogeans  were  much  larger  and  warlike,  often  fighting  each 
other. 

There  appears  to  have  been  a  well  defined  tradition  among 
all  the  Muskhogeans,  pointing  to  the  West,  and  probably  Old 
Mexico  as  their  former  home.  It  is  of  interest  here  to  recall 
that  the  great  Cherokee  Indian,  Sequoyah,  conceived  the  idea 
that  by  tracing  out  some  common  idioms  in  the  various  Indian 
languages,  he  could  eventually  determine  the  origin  of  the 
Cherokees  and  other  Indians;  and  in  his  old  age  he  traveled  to 
the  far  West  and  was  overtaken  by  death  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-two,  among  the  mountains  of  Tamaulipas,  Mexico. 

Adair  says  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws  were  the  descend- 
ants of  a  people  called  Chickemacaws ;  who  were  among  the  first 
inhabitants  of  the  Mexican  empire;  and  at  an  ancient  period 
wandered  eastward  with  a  tribe  of  Indians  called  Choccomaws,  and 
finally  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  with  ten  thousand  warriors. 

Cushman  supposes  that  the  names  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw 
were  derived  from  the  above  names,  and  says  that  in  1820  the 

17 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

aged  Choctaws  related  to  the  missionaries  that  their  ancestors  in 
a  remote  period  dwelt  in  the  far  West,  and  being  conquered  and 
oppressed  by  a  more  powerful  people,  resolved  to  seek  a  new 
country,  going  to  the  East. 

A  great  council  of  the  whole  nation  was  called,  and  after 
great  deliberation  and  much  discussion,  the  nation  started  forth 
under  the  leadership  of  two  brothers,  Chahtah  and  Chikasah, 
both  equally  renowned  for  their  bravery  in  war  and  their  wisdom 
in  council. 

After  much  prayer  and  supplication,  the  Great  Spirit  had 
revealed  to  their  chief  medicine  men  and  prophets  that  they 
should  erect  a  pole  (Fa-bus-sah  in  their  language)  in  the  midst  of 
their  camp,  standing  straight  up,  and  that  each  morning  they 
should  carefully  observe  the  way  it  leaned  and  follow  in  that 
direction,  and  the  first  morning,  as  it  leant  to  the  east,  they 
started  on  their  long  journey  toward  the  rising  sun. 

Each  night  the  pole  was  set  up  in  the  midst  of  the  camp, 
alternately  by  the  brothers,  Chahtah  and  Chikasah,  and  each 
morning  it  still  pointed  to  the  east,  and  for  months  they  passed 
Over  plains,  mountains  and  through  forests,  much  of  the  country 
abounding  in  game  and  inviting  the  pilgrims  to  settle  there,  but 
the  talismanic  pole  continued  to  point  eastward  and  the  nation 
followed  its  silent  admonitions. 

Says  Cushman : 

"After  many  months  of  wearisome  travel,  suddenly  a  vast 
body  of  flowing  water  stretched  its  mighty  arm  athwart  in  their 
path.  With  unfeigned  astonishment  they  gathered  in  groups 
upon  its  banks  and  gazed  upon  its  turbid  waters.  Never  before 
had  they  even  heard  of,  or  in  all  their  wanderings  stumbled  upon, 
aught  like  this.  Whence  its  origin?  Where  its  terminus? 
This  is  surely  the  Great  Father,  the  true  source  of  all  waters, 
whose  age  is  wrapt  in  the  silence  of  the  unknown  past,  ages 
beyond  all  calculation,  and  as  they  then  and  there  named  it 
'Misha  Sipokni'  (Beyond  Age,  whose  source  and  terminus  are 
unknown).  *  *  *  Is  Misha  Sipokni  to  be  the  terminus  of 
their  toils?     Are  the  illimitable  forests  that  so  lovingly  embraced 

18 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

in  their  wide  extended  arms  its  restless  waters  to  be  their  future 
homes?  Not  so.  Silent  and  motionless,  still  as  ever  before,  it 
bows  to  the  east  and  its  mandate,  'Onward,  beyond  Misha 
Sipokni,'  is  accepted  without  a  murmur;  and  at  once  they  pro- 
ceed to  construct  canoes  and  rafts  by  which,  in  a  few  weeks,  all 
were  safely  landed  upon  its  eastern  banks,  whence  again  was 
resumed  their  eastward  march,  and  so  continued  until  they  stood 
upon  the  western  banks  of  the  Yazoo  River  and  once  more  en- 
camped for  the  night;  and,  as  had  been  done  for  many  months 
before,  ere  evening  began  to  unfold  her  curtains,  and  twilight 
had  spread  o'er  all  her  mystic  light,  the  Fabussa  (now  truly  their 
Delphian  oracle)  was  set  up;  but  ere  the  morrow's  sun  had 
plainly  lit  up  the  eastern  horizon,  many  anxiously  watching  eyes 
that  early  rested  upon  its  straight,  slender,  silent  form,  observed 
it  stood  erect  as  when  set  up  the  evening  before,  and  then  was 
borne  upon  the  morning  breeze  throughout  the  vast  sleeping  en- 
campment, the  joyful  acclamation!  'Fohah  hupishno  Yak! 
Fohah  hupishno  Yak!'  (Pro.  as  Fo-hah,  Rest,  hup-ish-noh,  we, 
all  of  us,  Yak,  here.) 

"Now  their  weary  pilgrimage  was  ended,  and  flattering  hope 
portrayed  their  future  destiny  in  the  bright  colors  of  peace, 
prosperity,  and  happiness.  Then,  as  commemorative  of  this  great 
event  in  their  national  history,  they  threw  up  a  large  mound 
embracing  three  acres  of  land  and  rising  forty  feet  in  a  conical 
form,  with  a  deep  hole  about  ten  feet  in  diameter  excavated  on  the 
top,  and  all  enclosed  by  a  ditch  encompassing  nearly  twenty 
acres.  After  its  completion,  it  was  discovered  not  to  be  erect, 
but  a  little  leaning,  and  they  named  it  Nunih  (mountain  or 
mound)  Waiyah  (leaning),  pro.  as  Nunih  Wai-yah. 

"This  relic  of  the  remote  past  still  stands  half  buried  in  the 
accumulated  rubbish  of  years,  unknown,  disfigured  also  by  the 
desecrating  touch  of  Time,  which  has  plainly  left  his  finger-marks 
of  decay  upon  it,  blotting  out  its  history,  with  all  others  of  its 
kind — those  memorials  of  ages  past  erected  by  the  true  native 
American,  about  which  so  much  has  been  said  in  conjecture,  and 
so  much  written  in  speculation,  that  all  now  naturally  turn  to 
anything  from  their  modern  conjectures  and  speculations  with 
much  doubt  and  great  misgivings."  (See  pp.  64-65). 

Some  years  afterwards,  Chahtah  and  Chikasah  disagreed  on 
some  question  of  state,  and  decided  to  separate  with  their  re- 

19 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

spective  followers,  the  choice  of  the  countries  to  be  decided  by  a. 
game  of  chance,  with  the  result  that  the  northern  part  of  the 
country  fell  to  Chikasah  and  his  people,  while  the  southern  part 
fell  to  Chahtah  and  his  followers. 

Did  the  Separation  Take  Place  in  the  West— 

Dr.  Gideon  Lincecum  lived  among  the  Choctaws  for  years, 
and  spoke  their  language  fluently,  and  his  autobiography  will  be 
found  in  VIII  Publications,  Mississippi  Historical  Society  Papers, 
at  page  443 ;  and  page  52 1  of  the  same  volume  there  is  an  interesting 
account  by  Dr.  Lincecum  of  the  Choctaw  traditions  about  their 
settlement  in  Mississippi,  and  the  origin  of  their  mounds,  the 
account  extending  to  page  542. 

On  page  543  of  the  same  volume,  Harry  Warren  also  has  an 
interesting  article  on  "Chickasaw  Traditions,  Customs,  etc." 
While  differing  as  to  some  of  the  details,  still  the  accounts  given 
by  these  three  authors,  and  also  that  of  Schoolcraft,  as  quoted  by 
Warren,  agree  in  the  main,  one  important  exception  being  that,  ac- 
cording to  Lincecum,  the  separation  between  Chahtah  and  Chikasah 
took  place  long  before  they  reached  their  new  home,  for  he  says: 

"About  thirty  winters  after  they  had  stopped  at  Nunih 
Waya,  a  party  of  hunters  who  had  progressed  a  little  further 
north  than  usual,  fell  in  with  a  camp  of  hunters  belonging  to  the 
Chickasha  tribe.  After  finding  that  they  spoke  the  same  lan- 
guage with  themselves,  the  Chahtahs  approached  their  camp 
in  a  friendly  manner,  and  remained  several  days.  The  older 
men  amongst  them  being  familiar  with  the  traditional  history  of 
the  journeyings  of  their  respective  tribes,  took  much  pleasure  in 
communicating  to  each  other  an- account  of  their  travels.  From 
the  point  where  the  two  tribes  separated,  the  Chickashas diverged 
widely  to  the  left,  found  an  extremely  rough  and  scarce  country 
for  some  time,  but  at  last,  emerging  from  the  mountains  on  to  the 
wide  spread  plains,  they  found  the  buffalo  and  other  game  plenti- 
ful. They  continued  to  travel  with  only  an  occasional  halt,  to 
rest  the  women  and  the  feeble  ones,  until  they  came  to  the  great 
river,  at  the  place  called  by  them  sakti  ahlopulli  (bluff  crossing) — 
'White  people  call  it  now  Chickasaw  Bluffs,'  said  the  old  man. 
They  made  shift  to  cross  the  great  river,  and  traveling  onward, 

20 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  leader's  pole  came  to  a  stand  at  a  place  called  Chickasha  Old 
Town  in  a  high  and  beautiful  country.  The  leader's  pole  stood 
at  this  place  three  winters,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  pole  was 
found  leaning  to  the  northeast.  They  set  out  again  and  crossed 
another  big  river  (little  prairie  near  Huntsville,  Ala.).  The  pole 
remained  there  erect  only  one  winter.  At  mulberry  time  the 
ensuing  summer,  the  pole  was  found  leaning  almost  directly  to 
the  south.  They  packed  up,  and  crossing  many  bold  running 
rivers,  the  pole  still  leaning  onward,  until  they  came  to  a  large 
river,  near  where  it  emptied  into  the  great  okhuta  (ocean). 

"At  this  beautiful  country  (below  where  Savannah,  Georgia, 
now  stands),  the  pole  stood  erect  many  winters.  The  fish,  opa 
haksum,  oko  folush  (oysters,  clams),  and  all  manner  of  shell  fish 
and  fowl  and  small  game  were  plentiful.  The  people  obtained 
full  supplies  of  provisions  with  but  little  labor.  In  the  process 
of  time,  however,  the  people  became  sickly,  and  they  were 
visited  with  a  very  great  plague.  They  called  the  plague  hoita 
lusa  (black  vomit),  because  the  people  died,  vomiting  black 
matter  resembling  powdered  fire  coals  and  fish  slime.  All  that 
took  it  were  sick  but  a  day  or  two  and  died  so  fast  that  the  people 
became  frightened  and  ran  off,  leaving  great  numbers  of  the 
dead  unburied.  They  followed  the  leader's  pole  back  nearly 
over  the  same  route  they  went,  until  finally  they  returned  to  the 
place  where  the  pole  made  its  first  stand  (Chickasha  Old  Towns). 
Here  it  stood  again,  and  remained  erect  until  it  rotted." 

Is  it  not  almost  a  certainty  that  the  great  plague  referred  to 
was  what  in  later  years  was  known  as  the  dreaded  yellow  fever, 
which,  from  time  to  time,  decimated  that  coast  until  science 
decreed  its  doom? 

There  are  other  evidences  that  the  Chickasaws  once  lived 
near  where  Savannah,  Georgia,  now  is  and  the  sea  coast,  and 
it  is  a  fact  that  they  laid  claim  to  a  scope  of  country  in  that 
vicinity  before  Congress  as  late  as  1795. 

It  is  also  true  that  the  Chickasaws,  or  a  part  of  them,  once 
lived  at  the  Mussel  Shoals,  now  in  north  Alabama,  a  fact  stated 
by  Piomingo  at  the  Great  Conference  in  Nashville  in  1792,  in 
giving  the  boundaries  of  the  Chickasaw  country. 

There  is  one  other  interesting  feature  of  the  above  quotation 
from  Lincecum,  and  that  is,  that  the  Chickasaws  first  crossed  the 

21 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

great  river  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  presumably  where  Memphis 
now  stands. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  printed,  I  became  acquainted  with 
Honorable  Charles  D.  Carter,  through  a  correspondence,  he 
being  a  Chickasaw  by  birth,  and  a  member  of  Congress  for 
many  years  from  Oklahoma,  of  whom  I  will  hereafter  have 
occasion   to  refer  with  more   particularity. 

Mr.  Carter  sent  me  the  version  which  he  heard  many  years 
ago,  but  I  regret  that  space  forbids  its  insertion  here  as  an  en- 
tirety. It  is  interesting  to  note,  however,  that,  according  to  the 
legend  of  Mr.  Carter,  the  bones  of  the  dead  already  referred  to 
were  deposited  west  of  the  Mississippi,  where  the  parting  of  the 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  took  place.  That  when  the  traveling 
hosts  first  saw  the  great  river,  they  were  amazed,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  wisest  prophets  exclaiming.  "Misha  Sipokani,"  literally 
translated  "beyond  the  ages,"  but  figuratively  meaning  "the 
father  of  all  its  kind,"  distorted  in  its  pronunciation  by  the 
white  man,  in  all  probability,  into  the  name  "Mississippi,"  with 
a  free  translation  as  meaning  "the  father  of  waters."  Mr.  Carter 
then  closes  the  legend  in  these  words : 

"They  camped  for  the  night  on  the  banks  of  the  great  river, 
and  since  the  leader's  pole  still  leaned  toward  the  east,  the  young 
men  began  to  make  rafts  and  canoes  for  crossing  the  river  and 
proceeding  on  their  journey.  When  the  crossing  was  finally 
attempted,  the  little  white  dog  which  had  so  faithfully  kept  his 
course  toward  the  rising  sun  was  drowned,  and  upon  reaching 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  the  sacred  pole,  after  wobbling 
around  and  pointing  in  many  directions,  finally  stood  erect, 
and  the  medicine  men  interpreted  this  as  an  omen  that  the 
promised  land  had  been  reached. 

"Scouting  expeditions  were  sent  out  by  nearly  all  the  clans  in 
search  of  game  and  other  food  and  to  ascertain  the  exact  char- 
acter of  country  to  which  the  Great  Spirit  had  led  them.  Finally 
the  head  man  of  a  certain  clan,  the  members  of  which  were  de- 
scribed as  taller  and  of  fairer  skin  than  the  rest  of  the  tribe, 
appeared  before  the  general  council  and  asserted  that,  according 
to  his  best  information  and  judgment,  the  promised  land  had  not 

22 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

yet  been  reached,  that  a  much  better  country,  more  productive 
in  soil,  more  bountiful  in  game,  fruit,  and  fish,  lay  somewhat  to 
the  north  and  still  farther  toward  the  rising  sun.  After  debating 
the  question  for  many  hours  a  vote  was  taken  as  to  whether  the 
move  should  be  made,  and  it  was  decided  by  a  large  majority 
that  the  desired  place  had  been  reached  and  that  no  further 
move  was  necessary.  Upon  hearing  the  vote,  the  leader  of  the 
taller  and  fairer  clan  rose  up  and,  striding  majestically  out  of 
the  council,  dramatically  uttered  the  following  words: 

'"All  those  who  believe  the  promised  land  is  further  towards 
the  rising  sun  follow  me.' 

"His  entire  clan  arose  and  went  with  him,  but  few  others. 
Upon  seeing  this  the  Choctaw  warriors  and  some  of  their  head 
men  grabbed  their  spears,  tomahawks,  and  bows  and  arrows  as 
if  to  restrain  this  clan  by  force.  But  the  old  head  minko  arose, 
extended  his  hand  above  his  head,  palm  out,  and  exclaimed: 

"'Hamonockma,  ikia  ahnishke,  chickasha!'  (Halt,  follow 
them  not,   they  are  rebels!) 

'Thus  the  division  of  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws  into  two 
separate  tribes  came  about,  and  on  account  of  the  old  chief's 
reference  to  them  as  'rebels,'  this  taller  and  fairer  tribe  were 
ever  thereafter  known  as  'Chickasha.'" 

I  must  confess  that  I  was  much  impressed  with  this  version 
as  to  the  circumstances  under  which  it  is  said  this  parting  of  the 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  took  place.  It  is  at  least  in  keeping 
with  the  known  after  characteristics  of  the  two  nations. 

As  far  as  authentic  sources  of  information  extend,  the 
Chickasaws  have  always  been  a  comparatively  small  nation, 
but  imperious,  warlike,  and,  as  many  of  the  earlier  travelers  say, 
overbearing  and  aggresive.  We  know  that  the  Choctaws,  while 
always  far  exceeding  them  in  numbers,  feaied  them,  and  that  the 
Chickasaws  were  inclined  to  treat  them  with  disdain. 

According  to  the  version  of  Mr.  Carter,  the  name  Chickasaw, 
or  as  written  in  the  legend  Chickasha,  means  rebel,  and  is  some- 
what descriptive  of  Chickasaw  characteristics. 
The  Indians  Were  the  Mound  Builders — 

There  is  one  feature  of  the  migration  legends  treated  at 
lnegth  by  Lincecum  that  seems  to  have  been  overlooked  or  not 

23 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

treated  by  Cushman;  and  that  is,  the  bringing  by  the  Indians  of 
vast  quantities  of  the  bones  of  their  deceased  ancestors  to  their 
new  home. 

According  to  Lincecum,  who  claimed  to  have  derived  all 
of  his  information  from  the  wise  men  of  the  Choctaws,  the 
migration  covered  a  period  of  forty-three  years,  and  the  people 
were  loaded  down  with  the  bones  of  their  ancestors  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  make  further  progress  almost  impossible. 

A  safe  depository  for  the  repose  of  these  bones  was  one  of 
the  chief  reasons  for  building  the  great  mound  in  their  new  home, 
as  well  as  to  raise  a  monument  to  their  triumphant  march  and 
successful  settlement  towards  the  rising  sun. 

Commencing  at  page  529,  Lincecum  says: 

"Men  were  then  appointed  to  select  an  appropriate  place 
for  the  mound  to  be  erected  on,  and  to  direct  the  work  while  in 
progress.  They  selected  a  level  piece  of  sandy  land,  not  far 
from  the  middle  creek;  laid  it  off  in  an  oblong  square  and  raised 
the  foundation  by  piling  up  earth  which  they  dug  up  some  dis- 
tance to  the  north  of  the  foundation.  It  was  raised  and  made 
level  as  high  as  a  man's  head  and  beat  down  very  hard.  It  was 
then  floored  with  cypress  bark  before  the  work  of  placing  the 
sacks  of  bones  commenced.  The  people  gladly  brought  forward 
and  deposited  their  bones  until  there  were  none  left.  The  bones 
of  themselves  had  built  up  an  immense  mound.  They  brought 
the  cypress  bark,  which  was  neatly  placed  on,  till  the  bone  sacks 
were  all  closely  covered  in,  as  dry  as  a  tent.  While  the  tool 
carriers  were  working  with  the  bark,  women  and  children  and  all 
the  men,  except  the  hunters,  carried  earth  continually,  until  the 
bark  was  all  covered  from  sight,  constituting  a  mound  half  as 
high  as  the  tallest  forest  tree."     (See  pp.  529-530.) 

In  a  note  to  page  530,  he  says: 

"I  visited  this  celebrated  mound  in  1843.  I  found  it  rounded 
off,  oblong  square,  200  yards  in  circumference  at  its  base,  eighty 
feet  in  height,  with  a  flat  space  on  the  top  fifty-two  yards  in 
length  by  twenty-five  yards  in  width.  The  whole  mound  was 
thickly  set  with  large  forest  trees ;  200  yards  to  the  north  of  it  is  a 

24 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

lake,  which  I  suppose  to  be  the  place  whence  they  carried  the 
earth  to  construct  the  mound." 


Lincecum  further  set  forth  that  he  further  learned  that,  in 
the  remote  past,  the  Chickasaws  were  threatening  an  invasion  of 
the  Choctaw  country,  when  a  great  council  was  called,  which 
resolved  to  and  did  build  a  great  wall  around  their  two  principal 
mounds,  also  enclosing  a  space  sufficient  to  contain  all  the 
women  and  children,  as  well  as  the  aged  and  infirm,  in  case  they 
were  besieged.  The  wall  was  built  of  the  height  of  two  men, 
and  had  in  it  only  two  openings,  one  on  the  east  and  the  other 
on  the  west,  of  five  steps  each  in  width,  for  the  egress  and  ingress 
of  the  people  until  Nunih  Waya  should  be  actually  invaded  by 
the  enemy. 

In  a  note  to  page  542  Lincecum  says: 

"I  went  all  round  this  earth  wall  in  1843.  It  seemed  to  be 
a  complete  circle,  and  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  miles  in  circum- 
ference, the  southeastern  portion  cutting  the  bluff  of  Nunih 
Waya  Creek.  Many  places  in  the  wall  were  still  eight  feet  in 
height.     The  two  gaps  in  the  wall  had  never  been  filled  up." 

Both  Cushman  and  Lincecum  attest  that  even  in  their  day 
there  were  professional  bone  pickers,  whose  duties  consisted  in 
removing  all  the  flesh  of  deceased  Choctaws  from  the  bones, 
which  were  carefully  and  religiously  stored  away  in  mounds,  or 
rather,  they  were  laid  away  in  the  common  mausoleum  of  the 
Choctaws,  each  addition  being  carefully  covered  with  earth  until 
the  mounds  often  reached  large  proportions. 

Quoting  his  Choctaw  informant,   Lincecum  says: 

"Now,  my  white  friend,  I  have  explained  to  you  the  origin, 
and  who  it  was  that  built  the  great  number  of  mounds  that  are 
found  scattered  over  this  wide  land.  The  circular  conic  mounds 
are  all  graves,  and  mark  the  spot  where  the  persons  for  whom 
they  were  built  breathed  their  last  breath.  There  being  no 
bone  pickers  at  the  hunting  camps  to  handle  the  dead,  the  body 
was  never  touched,  or  moved  from  the  death  posture.     Just  as 

25 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

it  lay,  or  sat,  as  the  case  might  be,  it  was  covered  up,  first  with 
either  stones,  pebbles  or  sand,  and  finished  off  with  earth.  In 
this  way  the  custom  of  mound  graves  originated  from  the  great 
mound  graves,  Nunih  Waya,  and  it  prevailed  with  the  Choctaw 
people  until  the  white  man  came  with  his  destructive  sense- 
killing  'fire  water'  and  made  the  people  all  drunk."  (See  pp. 
533-534-) 


Of  course  there  were  other  structures  erected  for  defensive 
and  warlike  purposes,  such  as  the  construction  of  the  wall 
described  by  Lincecum.  , 

Traditions  Also  Point  to  an  Asiatic  Origin— 

I  will  here  quote  at  large  from  Cushman,  which  indicates  an 
Asiatic  origin  for  the  Chickasaws,  according  to  tradition,  as  fol- 
lows: 

"The  ancient  traditions  of  the  Cherokees,  as  well  as  the 
ancient  traditions  of  the  Muscogees  (Creeks)  and  the  Natchez, 
also  point  back  to  Mexico  as  the  country  from  which  they,  in  a 
period  long  past,  moved  to  their  ancient  possessions  east  of  the 
Mississippi  River.  But  whether  they  preceded  the  Choctaws 
and  Chickasaws,  or  came  after,  their  traditions  are  silent. 

"Milfort  (page  269)  says:  Big  Warrior,  Chief  of  the  Chero- 
kees, as  late  as  1822,  not  only  confirms  their  traditions  that 
Mexico  was  their  native  country,  but  goes  back  to  a  more  remote 
period  for  their  origin,  and  claims  that  his  ancestors  came  from 
Asia,  crossing  Behring  Straits  in  their  canoes;  thence  down  the 
Pacific  Coast  to  Mexico;  thence  to  the  country  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  where  they  were  first  known  to  the  Europeans. 

"Mr.  Gaines,  United  States  Agent  to  the  Choctaws  in  1810, 
asked  Apushamatahaubi  (pro.  Ar-push-ah-ma-tar-hah-ub-ih),  the 
most  renowned  chief  of  the  Choctaws  since  their  acquaintance 
with  the  white  race,  concerning  the  origin  of  his  people,  who 
replied:  'Ahattaktikba  bushi-aioktulla  hosh  hopaki  fehna 
moma  ka  minti'  (pro.  as  Arn  (my)  hut-tark-tik-ba  (forefather) 
hush-ih  ai-o-kah-tullah  (the  west),  mo-mah  (all)  meen-tih  (came) 
ho-par-kih  (far)  feh-nah  (very). 

"And  the  same  response  was  always  given  by  all  the  ancient 
Choctaws  living  east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  when  the  inquiry 

26 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

was  made  of  them,  Whence  their  origin?  By  this  they  only  re- 
ferred to  the  country  in  which  their  forefathers  long  dwelt  prior  to 
their  exodus  to  the  east  of  the  Mississippi  River;  as  they  also  had 
a  tradition  that  their  forefathers  came  from  a  country  beyond  the 
'Big  Waters'  far  to  the  northwest,  crossing  a  large  body  of  water 
in  their  canoes  of  a  day's  travel,  thence  down  the  Pacific  coast 
to  Mexico,  the  same  as  the  Cherokees. 

"In  conversation  with  an  aged  Choctaw  in  the  year  1884 
(Robert  Nail,  a  long  known  friend)  upon  the  subject,  he  con- 
firmed the  tradition  by  stating  that  his  people  came  first  from 
Asia  by  way  of  the  Behring  Straits.  He  was  a  man  well  versed  in 
geography,  being  taught  in  boyhood  by  the  missionaries  prior  to 
their  removal  from  their  eastern  homes  to  their  present  abode 
north  of  Texas.  The  Muscogees,  Shawnees,  Delawares,  Chip- 
peways,  and  other  tribes  also  have  the  same  traditions  pointing 
beyond  Behring  Straits  to  Asia  as  the  land  whence  their  fore- 
fathers came  in  ages  past.  Some  of  their  traditions  state  that 
they  crossed  the  Strait  on  the  ice,  the  Chippeways  for  one,  but 
the  most,  according  to  their  traditions,  crossed  in  their  canoes. 
But  that  the  ancestors  of  the  North  American  Indians  came  at 
some  unknown  period  in  the  remote  past  from  Asia  to  the  North 
American  continent,  there  can  be  no  doubt."     (See  pp.  66-67.) 

Conclusion — 

From  the  foregoing,  I  think  it  may  be  safely  concluded  that 
the  Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  and  in  fact  the  entire  Muskhogean 
family,  in  remote  times  came  to  the  country  now  comprising  the 
Gulf  States  and  reaching  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  from  the  far 
west,  and  in  all  probability  from  what  is  now  the  Mexican 
republic,  and  more  remotely  from  Asia. 

The  legends  and  traditions  to  this  effect  had  become  a  part 
of  the  religious  history  of  the  Indians.  The  wanderings  of  the 
Indians,  under  the  leadership  of  Chahtah  and  Chickasah  in  quest 
of  a  new  home,  and  their  many  privations  and  sufferings  were  not 
only  as  real,  but  as  sacred  to  them,  and  of  as  deep  a  religious 
signification,  as  is  the  forty  years  of  wandering  in  the  wilderness 
of  the  Jews  under  Moses  and  Joshua,  to  the  Israelites  and  the 
Christian  world  at  the  present  time. 

27 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

A  great  national  event  of  such  a  character  sinks  deep  into  the 
consciousness  of  a  people  and  will  persist  through  ages. 

In  addition  to  the  wampum  device,  already  noticed,  for  the 
preservation  of  historical  facts,  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Chicka- 
saws  and  Choctaws  to  select,  say,  about  twenty  youths  of  each 
generation,  who  were  carefully  instructed  by  their  wise  men  in 
their  past  history  as  well  as  in  all  things  deemed  advisable  for  the 
public  well  being. 

If  it  be  said  that  there  are  too  many  variations  or  differences 
in  the  traditions  so  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation, 
then  it  may  be  truly  replied  that  such  variations  are  inseparable 
attendants  upon  all  efforts  to  preserve  records  of  past  events. 

Thus,  the  four  gospels  recording  the  life  and  teachings  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  vary  in  many  particulars,  although  he  spoke 
as  never  man  spake.  However,  taken  as  a  whole,  the  gospels  are 
complete. 

While  Indian  traditions  fall  in  rank  far  below  the  written 
history  of  any  civilized  people,  still  my  conclusion  is  as  indicated 
above. 

The  suggestion  of  Cushman  that  the  Muskhogeans  were 
driven  from  Mexico  by  the  fire  and  sword  of  the  marauder 
Cortez  is  entirely  untenable,  when  we  reflect  that  the  expedition 
of  De  Soto  was  only  some  twenty  years  later  than  that  of  Cortez ; 
and  that  when  De  Soto  passed  the  winter  of  1 540-1 541  with  the 
Chickasaws,  they  appear  to  have  been  well  seated  at  their  homes, 
and  there  was  nothing  to  indicate  that  they  had  recently  been 
driven  from  Mexico. 


28 


CHAPTER  III 
THE  DAWN  OF  HISTORY  FOR  THE  CHICKASAWS 

The  sixteenth  century  opened  with  the  dawn  of  brighter 
days  for  civilized  man  throughout  the  world.  A  new  world 
had  been  discovered,  a  quickening  impulse  had  been  given  to  art, 
science  was  awakening,  and  the  diffusion  of  knowledge  becoming 
more  general,  the  renaissance  was  flowering  into  a  fuller  fruition. 
The  shackles  of  ignorance  and  superstition  which  had  bound  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  mankind  with  far  more  rigor  and  cruelty 
than  the  iron  which  bound  their  bodies  were  being  gradually 
unloosened;  still  centuries  were  to  elapse  before  men  were  to  be 
indeed  really  free,  a  consummation  not  even  yet  fully  realized. 

The  spirit  of  adventure  and  discovery,  like  a  young  Hercules, 
was  rejoicing  in  its  vigor  and  achievements. 

Soon  Pizarro  in  Peru,  Pedrarias  in  Central  America,  and 
Cortez  in  Mexico  had  overrun  and  devastated  these  countries; 
and  returning  to  Spain  brought  enormous  wealth,  which  excited 
the  imagination,  and  it  may  be  added  the  cupidity,  of  mankind. 

There  had  been  born  in  Xerez  (otherwise  Jerez),  in  Spain, 
of  a  noble  family,  but  without  fortune,  a  boy  named  Hernandez, 
sometimes  written  Fernandez,  and  which  is  the  equivalent  for  the 
English  Hernando.  It  appears  he  lived  at  a  place  in  Spain 
called  Soto,  and  following  the  customs  of  those  days  he  was,  in 
after  years,  called  Hernando  De  Soto;  that  is  Hernando  of  Soto. 
He  possessed  talents  more  valuable  than  wealth,  having  a  clear 
and  vigorous  understanding,  a  quick  apprehension,  and  courage 
of  the  highest  order,  which  made  him  a  born  ruler  of  men.  He 
enlisted  as  a  soldier  of  fortune  in  the  Peru  and  Central  American 
Expeditions;  was  a  captain  in  Nicaragua,  lieutenant-general  in 
the  conquest  of  Peru,  and  returning  to  Spain  it  is  reported  he 
brought  with  him,  as  his  part  of  the  spoils,  one  hundred  thousand 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

peso  de  oro,  equivalent  to  about  three  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
an  almost  incredible  fortune  for  those  days. 

He  was  liberal  and  lavish  of  his  wealth,  lending  a  large  sum 
to  the  emperor,  and  drew  around  him  many  of  the  most  daring 
and  ablest  young  noblemen  and  adventurers,  some  of  them 
also  of  great  wealth. 

Being  now  in  the  vigor  of  life  De  Soto  appears  to  have  resided 
in  Xerez,  and  at  court,  probably,  he  met  the  widow  of  Pedrarias, 
with  whom  he  had  been  acquainted  in  Nicaragua,  first  cousin  to 
the  celebrated  Marchioness  of  Moya,  lady-of-honor  and  life-long 
favorite  of  Ysabel  of  Castilla.  With  her  he  contracted  for  a 
love  marriage  with  her  daughter,  named  after  her,  Ysabel  de 
Bobadilla,  and  De  Soto  sent  her  a  wedding  gift  of  six  thousand 
ducats. 

As  showing  the  devotion  of  the  young  wife,  it  may  be  re- 
marked that  she  accompanied  De  Soto  on  his  ill-fated  expedition 
to  Florida  as  far  as  Cuba;  that  after  waiting  in  vain  for  three 
years  in  expectancy  of  a  happy  reunion,  she  died  of  a  broken 
heart  in  three  days  after  hearing  of  the  death  of  her  lord  in 
the  wilds  of  America,  and  his  burial  in  the  great  Mississippi  River, 
which  is  inseparably  linked  with  his  name. 


Having  achieved  his  highest  ambitions  in  the  land  of  his 
nativity,  De  Soto  looked  with  longing  eyes  again  to  the  new  world , 
and  dreamed  of  the  acquisition  of  still  greater  wealth  and  the 
building  of  a  new  empire  in  Florida,  a  name  denoting  a  vast  and 
unexplored  country,  of  indeterminate  boundaries,  co-extensive, 
probably,  with  one-half  of  the  North  American  continent. 

In  Florida  Ponce  de  Leon  had  sought  in  vain  for  the  fountain 
of  youth,  finding  instead  his  own  grave. 

Soon  thereafter  Cabeca  de  Vaca  returned  from  Florida, 
stating  that  he  and  four  others  were  the  only  survivors  of  the 
armament  sent  out  under  the  command  of  Panfilo  de  Narvaez,  to 
whom  the  "island  of  Florida"  and  the  adjacent  country  had  been 
granted,  upon  his  successfully  exploring  and  subduing  the  same. 

30 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Like  Ponce  de  Leon,  de  Narvaez  found  death  in  his  at- 
tempted subjugation  of  Florida;  but  these  failures  but  fired  the 
imagination  and  strengthened  the  purpose  of  De  Soto  to  achieve 
the  conquest  of  Florida. 

The  details  of  this  great  enterprise  is  outside  the  scope  of 
this  sketch.  Suffice  it  to  say  that,  in  consideration  of  the  fitting 
out  of  an  armament  and  the  conquest  and  colonization  of  Florida, 
the  emperor  was  to  grant  many  concessions  to  De  Soto,  who 
was  then  made  governor  of  Florida,  and  when  successful  in  his 
enterprise,  he  was  to  be  governor  and  captain-general,  with  the 
dignity  of  Adelantado  for  life,  and  high  sheriff  in  perpetuity  to 
his  heirs,  over  a  part  of  the  conquered  country. 

De  Soto  Lands  in  Florida— 

On  Friday,  May  30,  1539,  De  Soto  disembarked  his  ex- 
peditionary force,  which  consisted,  according  to  Biedma,  of  620 
men,  223  horses,  besides  many  hogs,  and  equipments  necessary  for 
such  an  extensive  expedition,  the  landing  being  made  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  present  Tampa,  Florida. 

Quite  soon  after  the  expedition  began  its  journey,  it  was  so 
fortunate  as  to  find  with  the  Indians  a  Spaniard  named  Juan 
Ortiz,  who  had  been  captured  nine  years  before  while  a  member 
of  the  Narvaez  expedition.  He  was  entirely  naked,  brown,  and 
in  appearance  an  Indian,  speaking  their  language  fluently,  which 
made  him  almost  invaluable  as  an  interpreter.  His  duplicity 
when  the  expedition  reached  the  country  of  the  Chickasaws  was 
one  of  the  causes  that  came  near  destroying  the  entire  army. 

The  one  thing  that  led  the  expedition  ever  onward,  further 
and  further,  was  the  expectation  of  finding  gold  and  silver  and 
other  treasures;  in  short  they  were  seeking  a  new  El  Dorado. 

They  had  only  gone  a  few  leagues  on  their  journey  when 
they  came  to  the  Province  of  Paracoxi,  and  the  Gentleman  of 
Elvas  says : 

'They  were  asked  if  they  had  knowledge  or  information  of 
any  country  where  gold  and  silver  might  be  found  in  plenty;  to 

31 


The  Chickasaw   Nation 

which  they  answered  yes;  that  towards  the  sunset  was  a  Province 
called  Cale,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  at  war  with  those  of 
territories  where  the  greater  portion  of  the  year  was  summer,  and 
where  there  was  so  much  gold  that  when  the  people  came  to 
make  war  upon  those  of  Cale,  they  wore  golden  hats  like  casques. 
"As  the  cacique  had  not  come,  Gallegos,  reflecting,  suspected 
the  message  designed  for  delay,  that  he  might  put  himself  in  a 
condition  of  safety;  and  fearing  that,  if  those  men  were  suffered 
to  depart,  they  might  never  return,  he  ordered  them  to  be 
chained  together,  and  sent  the  news  to  camp  by  eight  men  on 
horseback.  The  governor,  hearing  what  had  passed,  showed 
great  pleasure,  as  did  the  rest  who  were  with  him,  believing  what 
the  Indians  said  might  be  true." 

This  naive  statement  of  the  untutored  red  men  furnishes 
an  example  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Indians  sought  to  get  rid 
of  their  unwelcome  visitors;  or  in  the  lingo  of  the  cantonments 
in  these  war  times,  they  were  simply  "passing  the  buck"  to 
De  Soto  and  his  men. 

From  the  four  narratives  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  mark 
out  with  any  degree  of  precision  the  route  followed  by  De  Soto 
in  his  wanderings;  but  it  is  reasonably  certain,  speaking  in 
present  day  geographical  terms,  that  he  passed  northward  from 
Florida  into  Georgia  and  possibly  into  South  Carolina;  thence 
northwest,  and  in  crossing  upper  Georgia,  De  Soto  sent  two 
Spaniards  with  Indians  northward  to  the  Province  of  Chisca,  for 
he  was  told  by  the  cacique  of  Acoste  that  in  the  Province  of 
Chisca  there  was  a  forge 

"for  copper  or  other  metal  of  that  color,  though  brighter, 
having  a  much  finer  hue,  and  was  to  appearances  much  better, 
but  was  not  so  much  used  for  being  softer;  which  was  the  state- 
ment that  had  been  given  in  Cutifachiqui,  where  we  had  seen 
some  chopping-knives  that  were  said  to  have  a  mixture  of  gold" 
(Elvas,  p.  77.) 

It  is  generally  agreed  that  this  Chisca  was  in  Tennessee; 
but  it  was  not  in  middle  Tennessee,  where  the  map  Bourne  attached 

32 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

to  Vol.  2  of  his  Trail  Makers  places  it.  The  pioneers  in  east 
Tennessee  found  near  what  is  now  Ducktown,  in  Polk  County, 
an  extremely  rich  copper  district,  which  for  years  and  now  is 
being  worked  with  great  profit.  Of  course  no  gold  was  found,  a 
fact  not  referred  to  by  the  two  Spaniards,  though  they  did  report 
that  the  mountains  were  so  high,  "it  was  impossible  the  army 
should  march  in  that  direction";  and  the  same  mountains  stand 
this  day,  barring  the  approach  to  the  copper  district  from  the 
south,  precisely  as  they  did  to  the  army  of  De  Soto,  now  near 
four  hundred  years  ago. 

The  expedition  then  went  southwestward  until  it  came  to 
Mauilla,  near  where  Mobile,  Alabama,  now  is;  and  there  a  great 
battle  with  the  Indians  was  fought.  It  was  the  most  disastrous 
to  the  expedition  up  to  that  time,  the  results  of  which  are  stated 
by  Elvas : 

'They  who  perished  there  were  in  all  two  thousand  five 
hundred,  a  few  more  or  less;  of  the  Christians  there  fell  eighteen, 
among  whom  was  Don  Carlos,  brother-in-law  of  the  governor; 
one  Juan  de  Gamez,  a  nephew;  Men  Rodriguez,  a  Portuguese; 
and  Juan  Vazquez,  of  Villanueva  de  Barcarota,  men  of  condition 
and  courage;  the  rest  were  infantry.  Of  the  living,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  Christians  had  received  seven  hundred  wounds  from 
the  arrow;  and  God  was  pleased  that  they  should  be  healed  in 
little  time  of  very  dangerous  injuries.  Twelve  horses  died,  and 
seventy  were  hurt.  The  clothing  the  Christians  carried  with 
them,  the  ornaments  for  saying  mass,  and  the  pearls,  were 
burned  there;  they  having  set  the  fire  themselves,  because  they 
considered  the  loss  less  than  the  injury  they  might  receive  of  the 
Indians  from  within  the  houses,  where  they  had  brought  the 
things  together. 

"The  governor  learning  in  Mauilla  that  Francisco  Maldonado 
was  waiting  for  him  in  the  port  of  Ochuse,  six  days'  travel  distant, 
he  caused  Juan  Ortiz  to  keep  the  news  secret,  that  he  might  not 
be  interrupted  in  his  purpose;  because  the  pearls  he  wished  to 
send  to  Cuba  for  show,  that  their  fame  might  raise  the  desire  of 
coming  to  Florida,  had  been  lost,  and  he  feared  that,  hearing  of 
him  without  seeing  either  gold  or  silver,  or  other  things  of  value 

33 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

from  that  land,  it  would  come  to  have  such  reputation  that  no 
one  would  be  found  to  go  there  when  men  should  be  wanted;  so 
he  determined  to  send  no  news  of  himself  until  he  should  have 
discovered  a  rich  country." 

This  was  a  fatal  decision  for  De  Soto  in  his  search  for  riches. 
He  had  lost  up  to  this  time  102  of  his  faithful  followers,  and  was 
eventually  to  lose  his  own  life  in  the  wilderness. 

However,  as  he  was  seeking  fame,  he  soon  found  it;  for  in 
the  discovery  of  the  Mississippi  River  he  more  surely  enrolled  his 
name  in  the  annals  of  fame  than  if  he  had  discovered  mines  of 
silver  and  gold  richer  than  all  his  dreams  of  avarice. 

De  Soto  Reaches  the  Chickasaws— 

With  both  interest  and  pleasure  we  come  now  to  follow  in  the 
footsteps  of  De  Soto  to  the  land  of  the  Chickasaws.  By  some 
strange  imperfection  in  the  histories  which  have  covered  the 
countries  where  the  Chickasaws  formerly  dwelt,  scant  notice  has 
been  given  to  that  noble  nation;  and  the  debt  of  gratitude  due 
to  them  from  the  English-speaking  world  has  never  been  duly 
acknowledged.  Some  historians  are  like  less  learned  people  in 
at  least  one  respect;  and  that  is,  they  sometimes  copy  or  repeat 
what  others  have  said,  without  an  inquiry  into  original  sources 
of  information.  Error  thus  becomes  self-propagating.  Of  this 
the  Chickasaws  have  a  right  to  complain,  as  well  as  all  who  are 
interested  to  know  where  De  Soto  discovered  the  Great  Missis- 
sippi River,  an  event  of  world-wide  importance. 

We  are  indebted  to  Edward  Gaylord  Bourne,  professor  of 
history  in  Yale  University,  for  the  narratives  of  De  Soto  pub- 
lished "in  the  Trail  Makers  Series";  but  he  has  fallen  into  errors 
which  have  been  followed  by  others,  as  will  appear  more  at  large 
hereinafter. 

On  the  first  page  of  his  preface,  and  speaking  of  the  im- 
portance of  De  Soto's  discoveries,  he  said: 

"It  was  the  first  extensive  exploration  of  at  least  six  of  our 
Southern  States,  and  their  written  history  opens  with  the  narra- 

34 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

tives  which  tell  its  story;  these  same  narratives  contain  the 
earliest  descriptions  which  we  possess  of  the  life  and  manners  of 
the  Southern  Indians  so  famous  in  literature  and  history — the 
Choctaws,  the  Cherokees,  the  Creeks,  and  the  Seminoles;  these 
narratives  also  record  the  discovery  of  the  Mississippi  River  and 
the  story  of  the  first  voyage  upon  it  by  Europeans." 

I  commend  what  is  said  as  to  the  historical  value  of  De  Soto's 
discoveries;  but  if  Bourne  is  that  careful  and  dependable  his- 
torian which  some  would  have  us  believe,  then  why  did  he  omit 
in  the  above  statement  to  mention  the  Chickasaw  Indians,  the 
only  tribe  mentioned  in  the  De  Soto  narratives  which  can  be 
identified  by  the  name  attributed  to  them  by  the  De  Soto  nar- 
ratives, and  which  they  bear  to  this  day? 

Elvas  and  Ranjel  wrote  their  name  Chicaca;  Biedma  and 
Garcilaso,  Chicaza;  Adair,  who  knew  them  in  1735,  and  lived  with 
them,  wrote  it  Chickkasah;  the  great  John  Wesley  in  1736  wrote 
it  Chickasaws,  while  we  now  write  the  name  Chickasaw,  the 
name  thus  identifying  this  tribe,  and  this  tribe  only  by  name,  of 
all  those  visited  by  De  Soto,  who  found  them  at  precisely  the 
same  place,  where  they  continued  to  live  until  their  removal  to 
the  Indian  Territory  in  1836. 

The  De  Soto  narratives  will  be  searched  in  vain  for  any 
of  the  names  Choctaw,  Cherokee,  Creek,  or  Seminole,  or  any  near 
approach  thereto.  Why  omit  to  mention  not  only  the  Indian 
nation  which  we  know  positively  De  Soto  visited  but  which  by 
its  valor  and  superiority  deserved  especial  notice;  which  en- 
tertained De  Soto  and  supplied  all  his  wants  during  a  most 
severe  winter;  and  when  insulted  and  mistreated  came  near 
destroying  the  entire  expedition? 

Does  not  such  an  omission  and  mistakes  hereafter  to  be 
noted  awaken  a  doubt  as  to  the  conclusions  reached  by  those 
who  make  them  as  to  matters  of  great  moment,  where  others 
equally  learned  have  come  to  a  different  conclusion? 

De  Soto  had  lost  up  to  the  time  he  left  Mauilla  102  of  his 
faithful  followers,  and  he  turned  northward,  and  on  December  14, 

35 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

1540,  he  came  to  the  River  Chucaca,  evidently  named  for  the 
Chickasaws,  and  now  known  as  the  Tombigbee. 

When  De  Soto  indicated  his  purpose  to  cross  the  river,  the 
Chickasaws  disputed  his  passage;  whereupon  De  Soto  sent  an 
Indian  messenger  to  the  cacique 

"to  say  that  if  he  wished  his  friendship  he  should  quietly 
wait  for  him;  but  they  killed  the  messenger  before  his  eyes,  and 
with  loud  yells  departed. 

"He  crossed  the  river  the  seventeenth  of  December,  and  ar- 
rived the  same  day  at  Chicaca,  a  small  town  of  twenty  houses. 
There  the  people  underwent  severe  cold,  for  it  was  already  winter, 
and  snow  fell;  the  greater  number  then  were  lying  in  the  fields, 
it  being  before  they  had  time  to  put  up  habitations.  The  land 
was  thickly  inhabited,  the  people  living  about  over  it  as  they  do 
in  Mauilla;  and  as  it  was  fertile,  the  greater  part  being  under 
cultivation,  there  was  plenty  of  maize.  So  much  grain  was 
brought  together  as  was  needed  for  getting  through  with  the 
season."     (Elvas,  p.  100.) 

The  Original  Chickasaws  as  They  Were— 

We  have  followed  De  Soto  into  the  land  of  the  Chickasaws. 
He  and  his  followers  were  the  first  white  men  to  visit  their 
country  and  to  look  into  their  faces.  They  were  great  travelers 
and  ever  on  the  alert,  and  the  news  that  De  Soto  had  put  other 
Indians  into  chains  and  captivity,  as  well  as  the  news  of  the 
battle  at  Mauilla,  had  doubtless  reached  the  Chickasaws  long 
before  the  expedition  had  reached  their  country.  Biedma  says 
the  expedition  was  detained  at  the  river  three  days  before  a 
passage  was  effected,  which  was  finally  accomplished  and  the 
expedition  installed  for  the  winter  as  shown  above. 

It  seems  to  me  as  this  is  the  dawn  of  history  for  the  Chicka- 
saws, and  that  history  not  written  by  them,  but  by  the  Spaniards, 
who  delighted  to  call  themselves  christians,  it  is  highly  im- 
portant to  inquire  what  manner  of  people  were  the  original 
Chickasaws  who  roamed  the  forest  when  first  seen  by  white  men. 
Here  is  a  brief  pen  picture  of  that  splendid  race  now  almost  extinct 

36 


The  Chickasaw   Nation 

in  the  course  of  a  few  years.  The  average  citizen  believes  that 
our  Chickasaws  were  a  shiftless  kind  of  savage,  wandering  over 
the  country,  living  in  bark  or  skin  tepees  and  depending  entirely 
upon  the  chase  and  fishing  for  a  living.  This  is  a  very  great 
mistake.  They  were  a  self-reliant,  self-respecting  people;  and 
it  may  be  added  they  required  others  to  respect  them.  They 
had  good  houses,  suitable  to  their  conditions  and  means  of  build- 
ing, to  live  in,  those  for  the  summer  months  being  somewhat 
different  from  those  they  lived  in  for  the  winter,  which  were  so 
constructed  as  to  be  warmer  and  more  comfortable. 

Their  houses  were  not  only  clean,  but  their  lives  pure,  and 
their  women  were  gracious,  many  of  them  very  handsome;  and 
what  is  more  important,  they  were  chaste  and  pure,  for  Haywood, 
regarded  as  the  father  of  history  in  Tennessee,  assures  us  that 
no  Chickasaw  girl  was  ever  known  to  give  birth  to  a  child  before 
wedlock.  Of  how  many  so-called  civilized  people  can  this  be 
said? 

And,  moreover,  there  were  no  orphans  in  the  Chickasaw 
nation ;  nor  was  there  need  for  an  orphan  asylum. 

It  is  true  that  fathers  and  mothers  died,  leaving  little  children, 
and  the  fathers  were  often  slain  in  battle,  but  under  their  system 
of  laws  governing  these  matters,  when  a  child  became  motherless 
and  fatherless,  then  that  child  was  immediately  placed  with 
some  near  designated  relative  able  to  care  for  the  child,  who 
became  thereby  adopted  into  this  new  family,  and  was  as  much 
a  member  thereof,  and  received  the  same  love  and  care  as  the 
children  born  to  the  parents  of  the  family.  And  the  Chickasaws 
made  no  difference  between  these  adopted  children  and  those  of 
their  own  blood.  Are  not  these  matters  of  family  purity,  and 
the  loving  care  and  solicitude  lavished  upon  helpless  orphanage, 
evidences  of  a  nobility  of  character  worthy  of  imitation  even 
among  the  most  civilized  and  refined  people  on  this  globe? 

At  the  same  time  the  Chickasaw  warriors  were  the  bravest 
of  the  brave,  and  for  fidelity  of  character  they  were  the  peers  of 
any  nation  of  ancient  or  modern  times.     There  was  compara- 

37 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

tively  speaking,  but  a  handful  of  them,  estimated  by  various 
authorities,  and  at  various  times  from  2,000  to  4,000  souls. 

The  Choctaws,  Creeks,  and  Cherokees  mentioned  by  Bourne 
in  the  excerpt  quoted  above,  each  one  of  them,  had  as  many 
warriors  as  the  Chickasaws  had  warriors,  women,  and  children, 
aged  and  infirm  put  together,  and  yet  the  Chickasaws  were  more 
than  a  match  for  any  of  these  tribes,  and  defied  all  comers. 

Their  home  country  and  hunting  grounds  comprised  the 
vast  and  splendid  domain  described  by  Piomingo  hereinbefore 
quoted,  over  which  they  were  the  acknowledged  overlords,  and 
no  Indian  nation,  however  large,  dared  dispute  their  overlord- 
ship. 

As  to  their  form  of  government,  it  was  one  of  the  purest 
democracies.  There  was  a  chief,  sometimes  called  by  writers  a 
King,  because  his  duties  and  prerogatives  resembled  those  of  a  king. 
However,  they  were  never  guilty  of  the  folly  of  having  a  hered- 
itary ruling  king,  or  other  hereditary  rulers  or  classes.  A 
Chickasaw  became  chief  or  a  subordinate  chief,  by  the  choice 
of  the  nation  solely  because  he  had  achieved  that  distinction 
by  deeds  for  the  nation  that  entitled  him  to  leadership.  He 
enjoyed  that  distinction  only  so  long  as  his  merits  entitled  him 
thereto. 

They  never  went  to  war  except  after  the  most  careful 
deliberation  of  all  the  warriors,  followed  by  fasting  and  prayer 
to  the  "Beloved  One  that  dwelleth  in  the  blue  sky,"  for  his  aid 
and  protection  in  the  impending  conflict.  In  war  they  neither 
gave  or  expected  quarter,  and  would  die  at  the  burning  stake 
without  uttering  a  word  of  pain  or  a  request  for  mercy. 

They  were  of  a  deeply  religious  nature,  but  superstition  was 
a  stranger  to  them. 

Unlike  most  uncivilized  peoples,  the  appearance  of  a  comet 
or  an  eclipse  or  an  earthquake  brought  no  terrors  to  them. 

These  they  regarded  as  a  part  of  natural  phenomena,  under 
the  guidance  of  the  "Beloved  One,"  who  governed  all  things, 
and  bestowed  upon  his  children  all  of  the  good  things  which 

38 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

their  merits  deserved.  When  that  great  philanthropist,  General 
James  Oglethorpe,  about  1733,  procured  permission  of  King 
George  to  come  to  America  and  found  a  colony  for  the  poor  and 
oppressed  people  of  England  who  could  not  make  a  respectable 
living  for  themselves  and  families,  he  took  care  soon  after  set- 
tling at  Savannah,  Georgia,  to  seek  out  and  make  a  league  of 
friendship  with  that  small  and  distant  nation,  the  intrepid 
Chickasaws,  though  they  lived  nearly  a  thousand  miles  in  the 
western  wilderness  near  the  great  Mississippi.  The  Chickasaws 
proved  a  bulwark  of  strength  to  Oglethorpe  and  his  infant 
colony. 

When  General  James  Robertson,  that  conspicuous  character 
in  the  settlement  of  middle  Tennessee,  was  striving  to  lay  the 
foundation  for  his  colony  at  the  French  Lick,  he  likewise  sought 
out  the  intrepid  Chickasaws  and  made  a  league  of  friendship 
with  them;  and  but  for  their  valor  and  fidelity  his  settle- 
ment would  doubtless  have  been  wiped  from  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

When  the  Revolutionary  war  was  over,  and  the  North- 
western Indians  beyond  the  Ohio  and  about  the  Great  Lakes 
were  carrying  fire  and  destruction  to  the  outposts  of  civilization, 
and  "Mad"  Anthony  Wayne  was  striving  to  raise  an  army  to 
succor  civilization  in  the  wilderness,  President  George  Wash- 
ington, "first  in  war,  first  in  peace  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen,"  appealed  to  the  Chickasaws  to  aid  the  United 
States,  to  which  they  cheerfully  responded. 

It  was  a  proud  saying  of  the  Chickasaws  that  they  never 
raised  the  hatchet  against  the  English-speaking  people;  and  if  / 
nobility  of  character  and  fidelity  in  the  execution  of  every  league  , 
of  friendship  and  treaty  ought  to  be  rewarded,  then  there  was  noth- 
ing too  good  for  the  people  and  the  government  of  the  United  States 
to  bestow  upon  the  Chickasaws,  but  it  has  been  said,  and  some- 
times I  think  with  some  truth,  that  republics  are  ungrateful;  at 
least  such  has  been  proven  to  be  the  case  so  far  as  the  Chickasaws 
are  concerned. 

39 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Battle  with  the  Chickasaws— 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  appearance  of  white 
men,  clad  in  coats  and  other  vestments  of  metal  armor,  and 
mounted  on  horseback  generally  struck  terror  to  the  hearts  of 
the  Indians  when  they  first  looked  upon  white  men,  armored  and 
mounted. 

In  Mexico,  upon  the  first  appearance  of  Cortez  and  his 
followers,  the  Indians  thought  the  mounted  men  and  the  horses 
on  which  they  rode  were  unearthly,  gigantic  monsters  which  had 
come  to  destroy  them  and  their  country  and  that  resistance 
would  be  useless.  But  we  have  seen  that  the  Chickasaws  were  not 
to  be  so  easily  frightened,  and  though  their  weapons  were  inferior 
to  those  of  the  Spaniards;  and  though  the  latter  had  upon  them 
coats-of-mail  and  were  mounted  on  horses  which  were  likewise 
protected  by  armour,  still  we  shall  see  the  Chickasaws  gladly 
matched  their  prowess  with  that  of  the  Spaniards  in  three 
separate  contests.  They  did  not  ask  the  aid  of  other  Indians, 
feeling  themselves  self-sufficient  for  any  emergency  that  might 
arise. 

Three  of  the  four  narrators  do  not  mention  the  name  of  the 
cacique  or  chief  of  the  Chickasaws;  but  there  is  a  sentence  in 
Ranjel  (p.  132)  which,  though  somewhat  involved,  gives  the  name 
of  the  principal  chief  as  Miculasa;  while  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas 
gives  the  names  of  his  two  subordinate  Chiefs  as  Alimamu  and 
Niculasa. 

It  frequently  happens  that  the  narrators  give  different 
names  both  to  persons  and  places;  but  this  is  not  strange  when 
we  remember  that  they  had  no  guide  as  to  the  spelling,  and 
guessed  at  spelling  from  the  sound  of  the  words,  as  best  they  could. 

Having  taken  possession,  evidently  against  the  will  of  the 
Chickasaws,  De  Soto  sought  to  open  up  communications,  seizing 
certain  of  the  Indians  and  among  them  one  that  was  much 
esteemed  by  Miculasa,  the  chief,  who  came  to  see  De  Soto  on 
January  3,  1541,  being  borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  his  warriors. 
Biedmasays: 

40 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"He  gave  us  deer  skins  and  little  dogs  (of  which  the  Spaniards 
were  fond).  The  people  returned,  and  every  day  Indians  came 
and  went,  bringing  us  many  hares  and  whatever  else  the 
country  supplied." 

According  to  Elvas  when  Chief  Miculasa  came  to  see  De 
Soto, 

"He  came,  and  offered  him  the  service  of  his  person,  territories, 
and  subjects;  he  said  that  he  would  cause  two  chiefs  to  visit  him 
in  peace.  In  a  few  days  he  returned  with  them,  they  bringing 
their  Indians.  They  presented  the  governor  150  conies,  with 
clothing  of  the  country,  such  as  shawls  and  skins. 

"The  name  of  one  was  Alimamu,  of  the  other  Niculasa." 

I  have  quoted  from  Elvas  hereinbefore  that  "so  much  grain 
was  brought  together  as  was  needed  for  getting  through  the  sea- 
son." 

Or,  stated  in  one  sentence,  Chief  Miculasa  offered  to  De 
Soto  his  personal  services,  those  of  his  people  and  territories,  and 
actually  supplied  everything  necessary  for  man  and  beast  of  the 
entire  army,  consisting  of  some  250  men  (Biedma,  page  21)  and  at 
least  100  head  of  horses,  hogs,  etc. 

That  this  was  a  heavy  burden  to  be  suddenly  placed  upon  an 
uncivilized  people,  does  not  admit  of  question,  and  at  least  shows 
that  the  Chickasaws  were  good  livers. 

When  the  expedition  had  fairly  settled  down,  Chief  Niculasa 
asked  De  Soto  to  aid  him  in  the  suppression  of  his  vassal,  the  chief  of 
Saquechuma  (or  Sacchuema-Ranjel),  who  had  rebelled  against 
Niculasa.  De  Soto,  taking  thirty  cavalry  and  eighty  infantry, 
went  to  the  province  said  to  be  in  rebellion  and  found  the  houses 
deserted,  which  were  burned  up.  Ranjel  states  that  thereupon 
peace  was  made,  and  does  not  hint  of  any  trick  or  dissimulation 
on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  However,  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas 
states  that  the  whole  affair  was  a  dissimulation  on  the  part  of 
Niculasa,  who  wished  to  separate  the  army  into  two  parts  so 
that  it  could  be  the  more  easily  destroyed;  but  that,  owing  to  the 

41 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

vigilance  of  the  governor,  his  men  were  at  all  times  on  guard 
and  no  opportunity  was  afforded  to  make  the  contemplated 
attack. 

However  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  the  governor  was 
sending  for  the  chief,  and  sending  a  horse  upon  which  the  chief 
was  to  ride  in  making  his  visits  to  dine  with  the  governor,  and 
we  may  well  believe  that  the  governor  took  occasion  to  make  many 
fair  and  flattering  speeches  to  the  chief. 

The  Gentleman  of  Elvas  gives  a  very  clear  and  the  best 
account  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  sanguinary  conflict  between 
the  army  of  De  Soto  and  the  Chickasaws,  on  March  4,  1541,  and 
the  results  thereof;  and  I  do  not  think  I  can  do  better  than  to 
quote  from  him,  beginning  at  page  102,  as  follows: 

"The  governor  invited  the  caciques  and  some  chiefs  to  dine 
with  him,  giving  them  pork  to  eat,  which  they  so  relished, 
although  not  used  to  it,  that  every  night  Indians  would  come 
up  to  some  houses  where  the  hogs  slept, a  cross-bow  shot  off  from  the 
camp,  to  kill  and  carry  away  what  they  could  of  them.  Three 
were  taken  in  the  act;  two  the  governor  commanded  to  be  slain 
with  arrows,  and  the  remaining  one,  his  hands  having  been  cut 
off,  was  sent  to  the  cacique,  who  appeared  grieved  that  they  had 
given  offense,  and  glad  that  they  were  punished.  This  chief  was 
half  a  league  from  where  the  Christians  were  in  an  open  country, 
whither  wandered  off  four  of  the  cavalry,  Francisco  Osorio, 
Reynoso,  a  servant  of  the  Marquis  of  Astorga,  and  two  servants 
of  the  governor — the  one,  Ribera,  his  page,  the  other,  Fuentes, 
his  chamberlain.  They  took  some  skins  and  shawls  from  the 
Indians,  who  made  great  outcry  in  consequence  and  abandoned 
their  houses.  When  the  governor  heard  of  it,  he  ordered  them 
to  be  apprehended,  and  condemned  Osorio  and  Fuentes  to  death, 
as  principals,  and  all  of  them  to  lose  their  goods.  The  friars,  the 
priests,  and  other  principal  personages  solicited  him  to  let  Osorio 
live  and  moderate  the  sentence;  but  he  would  do  so  for  no  one. 
When  about  ordering  them  to  be  taken  to  the  town-yard  to  be 
beheaded,  some  Indians  arrived,  sent  by  the  chief  to  complain 
of  them.  Juan  Ortiz,  at  the  entreaty  of  Baltasar  de  Gallegos 
and  others,  changed  their  words,  telling  the  governor,  as  from 
the  cacique,  that  he  had  understood  those  Christians  had  been 

42 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

arrested  on  his  account;  that  they  were  in  no  fault,  having  of- 
fended him  in  nothing,  and  that  if  he  would  do  him  a  favor,  to 
let  them  go  free;  then  Ortiz  said  to  the  Indians  that  the  governor 
had  the  persons  in  custody,  and  would  visit  them  with  such 
punishment  as  should  be  an  example  to  the  rest.  The  prisoners 
were  ordered  to  be  released. 

"So  soon  as  March  had  come,  the  governor,  having  de- 
termined to  leave  Chicaca,  asked  200  tamemes  of  the  cacique, 
who  told  him  that  he  would  confer  with  his  chiefs.  Tuesday,  the 
eighth,  he  went  where  the  cacique  was  to  ask  for  the  carriers, 
and  was  told  that  he  would  send  them  the  next  day.  When  the 
governor  saw  the  chief,  he  said  to  Luis  de  Moscoso  that  the 
Indians  did  not  appear  right  to  him;  that  a  very  careful  watch 
should  be  kept  that  night,  to  which  the  field  marshal  paid  little 
attention.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  Indians  fell  upon 
them  in  four  squadrons,  from  as  many  quarters,  and  directly  as 
they  were  discovered,  they  beat  a  drum.  With  loud  shouting, 
they  came  in  such  haste,  that  they  entered  the  camp  at  the  same 
moments  with  some  scouts  that  had  been  out;  of  which,  by  the 
time  those  in  the  town  were  aware,  half  the  houses  were  in  flames. 
That  night  it  had  been  the  turn  of  three  horsemen  to  be  of  the 
watch — two  of  them  of  low  degree,  the  least  value  of  any  in  the 
camp,  and  the  third  a  nephew  of  the  governor,  who  had  been 
deemed  a  brave  man  until  now,  when  he  showed  himself  as  great 
a  coward  as  either  of  the  others;  for  they  all  fled,  and  the  Indians, 
finding  no  resistance,  came  up  and  set  fire  to  the  place.  They 
waited  outside  of  the  town  for  the  Christians,  behind  the  gates, 
as  they  should  come  out  of  the  doors,  having  had  no  opportunity 
to  put  on  their  arms;  and  as  they  ran  in  all  directions,  bewildered 
by  the  noise,  blinded  by  the  smoke  and  the  brightness  of  the 
flame,  knowing  not  whither  they  were  going,  or  were  able  to  find 
their  arms,  or  put  saddles  on  their  steeds,  they  saw  the  Indians 
who  shot  arrows  at  them.  Those  of  the  horses  that  could  break 
their  halters  got  away,  and  many  were  burned  to  death  in  the 
stalls. 

"The  confusion  and  rout  were  so  great  that  each  man  fled 
by  the  way  that  first  opened  to  him,  there  being  none  to  oppose 
the  Indians;  but  God,  who  chastiseth  his  own  as  he  pleaseth,  and 
in  the  greatest  wants  and  perils  hath  them  in  his  hand,  shut  the 
eyes  of  the  Indians,  so  that  they  could  not  discern  what  they 
had  done,  and  believed  that  the  beasts  running  about  loose  were 

43 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  cavalry  gathering  to  fall  upon  them.  The  governor,  with  a 
soldier  named  Tapia,  alone  got  mounted,  and  charging  upon  the 
Indians,  he  struck  down  the  first  of  them  he  met  with  a  blow  of 
the  lance,  but  went  over  with  the  saddle,  because  in  the  haste  it 
had  not  been  tightly  drawn,  and  he  fell.  The  men  on  foot, 
running  to  a  thicket  outside  of  town,  came  together  there;  the 
Indians  imagining,  as  it  was  dark,  that  the  horses  were  cavalry 
coming  upon  them,  as  has  been  stated,  they  fled,  leaving  only 
one  dead,  which  was  he  the  governor  smote. 

"The  town  lay  in  cinders.  A  woman,  with  her  husband, 
having  left  a  house,  went  back  to  get  some  pearls  that  had  re- 
mained there;  and  when  she  would  have  come  out  again  the  fire 
had  reached  the  door  and  she  could  not,  neither  could  her  hus- 
band assist  her,  so  she  was  consumed.  Three  Christians  came 
out  of  the  fire  in  so  bad  plight  that  one  of  them  died  in  three 
days  from  that  time,  and  the  two  others  for  a  long  while  were 
carried  in  their  pallets,  on  poles  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  Indians, 
for  otherwise  they  could  not  have  got  along.  There  died  in  this 
affair  eleven  Christians  and  fifty  horses,  ioo  of  the  swine  re- 
mained, 400  having  been  destroyed,  from  the  conflagration  of 
Mauilla. 

"If,  by  good  luck,  anyone  had  been  able  to  save  a  garment 
until  then,  it  was  there  destroyed.  Many  remained  naked,  not 
having  had  time  to  catch  up  their  skin  dresses.  In  that  place 
they  suffered  greatly  from  cold,  the  only  relief  being  in  large  fires, 
and  they  passed  the  night  long  in  turning,  without  the  power  to 
sleep;  for  as  one  side  of  a  man  would  warm,  the  other  would 
freeze.  Some  contrived  mats  of  dried  grass  sewed  together,  one 
to  be  placed  below  and  the  other  above  them ;  many  who  laughed 
at  this  expedient  were  afterwards  compelled  to  do  likewise. 
The  Christians  were  left  so  broken  up  that,  with  the  want  of  the 
saddles  and  arms  which  had  been  destroyed,  had  the  Indians 
returned  the  second  night,  they  might,  with  little  effort,  have 
been  overpowered.  They  removed  from  that  town  to  the  one 
where  the  cacique  was  accustomed  to  live,  because  it  was  in  the 
open  field.  In  eight  days'  time  they  had  constructed  many 
saddles  from  the  ash  and  likewise  lances,  as  good  as  those  made 
in  Biscay." 

Garcilaso  de  la  Vega  gives  substantially  the  same  account  as 
the  Gentleman  of  Elvas,  but  adds  some  additional  particulars, 

44 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

among  them  that  the  Chickasaw  chief  chose  a  dark  and 
cloudy  night  when  a  north  wind  was  blowing  furiously  to  make 
the  attack. 

That  the  chief  divided  his  forces  into  three  bands,  so  as 
to  make  the  attack  simultaneously  in  three  several  places,  the 
chief  leading  in  person  the  force  which  attacked  in  the  center. 
He  adds : 

"Immediately  the  air  resounded  with  the  blasts  of  conch 
shells,  the  rumbling  of  wooden  drums,  and  the  yells  and  war 
whoops  of  the  savages,  who  rushed  like  demons  to  the  assault. 
Many  had  lighted  matches,  like  cords,  made  of  a  vegetable 
substance,  which,  whirled  in  the  air,  would  blaze  up  into  flame; 
others  had  arrows  tipped  with  the  same.  These  they  hurled  upon 
the  houses,  which  being  of  reeds  and  straw,  instantly  took  fire, 
and  the  wind  blowing  strongly,  were  soon  wrapped  in  flames." 

Ranjel  says  that  the  Indians 

"entered  the  camp  in  many  detachments,  beating  drums 
as  if  it  had  been  in  Italy,  and  setting  fire  to  the  camp,  they 
burned  and  captured  fifty-nine  horses,  and  three  of  them  they 
shot  through  the  shoulders  with  arrows." 

He  added : 

"If  the  Indians  had  known  how  to  follow  up  their  victory, 
this  would  have  been  the  last  day  of  the  lives  of  the  Christians 
of  that  army,  and  made  an  end  of  the  demand  for  carriers." 

We  also  learn  from  Garcilaso  that  the  woman  who  was 
burned  up  was  the  wife  of  a  worthy  soldier,  and  that  she  was  the 
only  white  woman  that  had  accompanied  the  expedition  from 
Spain.  That  she  was  a  white  woman  is  not  stated  by  any  of  the 
other  three  narrators,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  sentence  from 
Elvas  in  reference  to  her  death  is  obscure,  but  not  in  conflict 
with  Garcilaso. 

Her  husband  had  left  her  behind  when  he  rushed  forth  to 
fight,  and  she  had  escaped  from  the  burning  house,  but  returned 

45 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

to  save  some  pearls;  and  was  cut  off  by  the  flames  from  her 
second  retreat  and  was  found  burned  to  death. 

The  loss  of  the  Spaniards,  according  to  Elvas,  was  eleven 
Christians  and  fifty  horses;  according  to  Ranjel,  twelve  Chris- 
tians and  fifty-nine  horses;  while  Garcilaso  says  forty  Spaniards 
fell  in  combat  and  fifty  horses  perished  and  many  more  were 
wounded ;  that  the  darts  had  been  skillfully  aimed  at  the  vital  parts 
of  the  horses.  One  horse  had  two  shafts  through  the  heart,  shot 
from  different  directions.  Another  horse,  one  of  the  heaviest 
in  the  army,  was  killed,  sped  by  such  a  vigorous  arm  that  the 
arrow  had  passed  through  both  shoulders  and  four  fingers' 
breadth  beyond. 

Biedma  in  his  usual  laconic  style,  says: 

"The  Indians  did  us  very  great  injury,  killing  fifty-seven 
horses,  more  than  three  hundred  hogs,  and  thirteen  or  fourteen 
men;  and  it  was  a  great,  mysterious  providence  of  God  that 
though  we  were  not  resisting  them,  nor  giving  them  any  cause  to 
do  so,  they  turned  and  fled;  had  they  followed  us  up,  not  a  man 
of  all  our  number  could  have  escaped.  Directly  we  moved  to  a 
cottage  about  a  mile  off." 

In  the  last  conflict  between  the  Spaniards  and  the  Chicka- 
saws,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  next  chapter,  the  number  of  Spaniards 
who  then  lost  their  lives  in  battle  is  stated  in  a  rather  equivocal 
way ;  but  it  seems  certain  that  at  least  fifteen  died  on  the  forward 
march,  and  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  as  many  Spaniards 
perished  in  the  last  as  did  in  the  first  battle. 

The  loss  in  the  first  battle  of  so  much  of  De  Soto's  weapons, 
armor,  horses,  hogs,  etc.,  was  probably  as  great  a  weakening 
of  the  army  as  the  loss  of  the  lives  of  the  Spaniards. 

We  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  our  source  of  informa- 
tion comes  from  the  Spaniards,  who  no  doubt  colored  their 
accounts  to  their  advantage,  and  doubtless  to  the  disadvantage 
of  the  Chickasaws. 


4Q 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  will  be  noted  that  all  four  of  the  narratives  state  the 
loss  of  some  300  head  of  hogs,  which  were  greatly  prized  by 
De  Soto.  How  he  contrived  to  carry  with  his  army  so  large  a 
number  of  these  slow-moving  and  easily-wearied  animals  through 
the  wilderness,  and  to  so  keep  them  that  they  constantly  mul- 
tiplied, is  one  of  the  marvels  of  this  extraordinary  expedition. 
He  saved  enough,  however,  for  stock,  for  after  his  death,  May  21, 
1542,  his  personal  effects  were  sold  at  auction,  and  among  these 
his  hogs,  which  brought  200  cruzados  per  head,  to  be  paid  at 
the  end  of  the  expedition,  upon  a  division  of  the  fruits  thereof, 
or  if  none,  then  within  one  year.  From  that  time  forward  most 
of  the  people  raised  hogs  and  ate  freely  of  pork. 

In  an  interesting  article  published  by  Mr.  E.  T.  Winston, 
of  Pontotoc,  in  his  paper,  The  Advance,  November  22,  191 7, 
he  reviews  this  episode  in  the  travels  of  De  Soto  with  respect 
to  the  loss  of  so  many  of  his  hogs,  many  of  which  escaped  into 
the  wilds  and  became  the  progenitors  of  multitudes  of  wild 
hogs  found  by  the  earliest  settlers  in  Mississippi. 

Mr.  Winston  felicitates  the  State  of  Mississippi  as  the 
place  furnishing  the  time,  the  place,  and  the  occasion  when 
"hog  and  hominy"  first  met,  although  the  meeting  was  destined 
to  give  rise  to  the  near  destruction  of  the  De  Soto  expedi- 
tion, which  furnished  the  hogs  while  the  Indians  furnished  the 
hominy. 

It  is  well  known  that  maize,  or  Indian  corn,  was  a  gift  of 
incalculable  value  from  the  Indians  of  the  new  world  to  civili- 
zation, more  of  that  grain  being  now  raised  in  the  United  States 
that  any  other  cereal,  the  crop  for  191 7,  being  3,247,512,000 
bushels,  valued  at  $4,871,268,000,  a  sum  so  great  as  to  stagger 
the  imagination.  Lye  hominy,  so  much  used  throughout  the 
South  before  the  Civil  War,  and  now  put  up  in  cans  by  large 
corporations  for  general  distribution  through  the  channels  of 
trade  and  commerce,  is  a  very  wholesome  and  nourishing  article 
of  diet,  a  gift  of  the  Indians  to  the  world,  which  the  Chickasaws 
called  "Tom-fulla." 

47 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

What  Caused  the  Conflict- 
It  is  perfectly  evident  from  the  account  of  the  Spaniards 
that  the  attack  by  the  Chickasaws  upon  the  Spaniards  was 
brought  about  by  two  causes  which  justly  incensed  the  Indians. 
In  the  first  place  the  Spaniards  had  appropriated  corn  and 
other  provisions  belonging  to  the  Indians  worth  probably  ten 
times  the  value  of  all  of  the  Spanish  hogs.  Doubtless  the  Indians 
thought  that  a  fair  exchange  was  no  robbery ;  and  conceding  that 
some  of  these  hogs  were  taken  without  permission,  still  it  does 
seem  a  harsh  and  cruel  punishment  to  have  put  two  Indians  to 
death  therefor;  and  furthermore  to  have  cut  off  the  hands  of  a 
third  one  and  sent  him  to  his  people.  While  I  am  well  aware 
that  the  men  at  that  day  and  time  are  not  to  be  judged  by  the 
standards  of  the  present,  still  the  duplicity  of  Juan  Ortiz  turned 
the  retributory  sentence  pronounced  by  De  Soto  on  his  fellows 
who  had  robbed  the  Indians  into  a  perfect  mockery  of  justice. 

It  is  true  that  De  Soto  had  decreed  the  same  punishment  on 
his  own  followers,  that  he  had  visited  on  the  Indians  for  a  like 
offense;  but  he  was  deceived,  and  the  ends  of  justice  defeated  by 
the  deception  of  Ortiz  and  his  confederates;  but  we  may  be  as- 
sured that  his  falsehoods  did  not  deceive  the  ever  vigilant  and 
intelligent  Chickasaws.  The  most  unfortunate  phase  of  the 
matter  is  that  in  all  probability  the  Indians  were  never  made 
aware  of  the  deception  practiced  upon  De  Soto  by  his  own  fol- 
lowers. 

In  the  next  place  the  demand  made  by  the  Spaniards  for 
porters  was  probably  the  immediate  cause  for  the  attack  made 
by  the  Chickasaws  upon  the  expedition.  Nothing  could  escape 
the  vigilance  of  the  Chickasaws,  for  the  smallness  of  the  nation, 
surrounded  by  hostile  neighbors,  so  much  more  numerous  than 
themselves,  made  the  trite  saying,  "eternal  vigilance  is  the  price 
of  liberty,"  a  part  of  the  very  warp  and  woof  of  their  existence. 
I  doubt  not  that  they  had  a  complete  history  of  the  treatment 
of  the  Spaniards  towards  the  Indians  before  reaching  their 
country;  and  if  so,  they  knew  that  if  a  tribe  once  furnished  the 

48 


The  Chickasaw   Nation 

desired  porters,  they  were  not  only  compelled  to  carry  burdens 
all  day,  but  were  compelled  to  make  camp,  and  when  camp  was 
made,  it  was  their  duty  to  feed  the  stock,  do  the  cooking,  and  in 
short,  do  all  menial  work;  they  were  secured  by  chains  in  order  to 
prevent  escape,  and  carried  as  virtual  prisoners,  either  to  death, 
or  so  far  from  their  people  that  they  could  never  return  again  to 
their  beloved  country. 

Evidently  the  Chickasaws  preferred  death  to  such  a  fate, 
and  were  ready  to  stake  their  all  on  an  unequal  contest.  This 
they  did  not  only  in  the  manner  set  forth  above,  but  in  a  few  days 
they  renewed  the  attack,  but  without  success.  De  Soto  was 
almost  completely  cast  down  by  the  terrible  assaults  of  the  fear- 
less and  intrepid  Chickasaws.  He  had  become  convinced  from 
appearances  that  the  Indians  were  contemplating  a  battle, 
saying  to  his  followers:  "To  night  is  an  Indian  night.  I  shall 
sleep  armed  and  my  horse  saddled." 

He  charged  Luis  de  Moscoso,  master  of  the  camp,  that  he 
should  take  extra  precautions  that  night  in  regard  to  the  sentinels, 
since  they  were  to  start  on  their  journey  next  day.  Moscoso  put 
on  the  morning  watch  three  of  the  most  useless  men,  mounted  on 
the  poorest  horses  in  the  camp.  For  his  gross  negligence  in  this 
regard  De  Soto  deposed  Moscoso,  and  appointed  Baltazar  de 
Gallegos  in  his  place. 

In  the  next  chapter  I  will  take  up  the  line  of  march  from  the 
Chickasaw  country  to  the  place  where  De  Soto  discovered  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  then  we  will  see  that  the  Chickasaws  made 
a  third  attempt  to  destroy  the  Spaniards.  As  that  chapter  will 
deal  particularly  with  the  place  at  which  the  great  river  was 
discovered  and  is  intended  as  an  answer  to  those  who  contend 
that  it  was  discovered  in  Tunica  County,  Mississippi,  and  who 
also  affect  to  reject  the  narrative  of  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  "the 
Inca,"  I  will  not  in  that  chapter  quote  from  or  say  anything  upon 
the  authority  of  Garcilaso,  though  I  consider  his  narrative  an 
extremely  valuable  contribution  to  our  knowledge  of  what  really 
occurred  during  the  De  Soto  expedition. 

49 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

However,  as  showing  the  bravery  and  indomitable  spirit  of 
the  Chickasaws,  Garcilaso  tells  at  length  of  the  complicated  and 
well-built  fort  the  Chickasaws  had  constructed  near  a  rapid 
river  which  we  now  call  the  Tallahatchie,  and  of  the  sanguinary 
conflict  which  there  took  place. 

I  select  these  two  excerpts  (p.  306)  as  showing  the  prowess 
and  intrepidity  of  the  Chickasaws: 

"At  the  first  discharge,  Diego  de  Castro,  Luis  Bravo,  and 
Francisco  de  Figueroa,  were  brought  to  the  ground,  mortally 
wounded.  All  three  were  pierced  in  the  thigh,  with  arrows  barbed 
with  flint,  for  the  savages,  having  gained  some  experience  during 
their  warfare  with  the  Spaniards,  always  aimed  at  the  thigh, 
which  was  never  guarded.  The  Spaniards,  seeing  their  companions 
fall,  shouted  to  one  another  to  rush  in,  and  leave  the  Indians  no 
time  to  gall  them  with  their  arrows.  They  charged  furiously, 
and  drove  the  enemy  before  them  to  the  very  portals  of  the 
fortress. 

"While  Juan  de  Anasco  and  Andres  de  Vasconcelos  attacked 
the  savages  on  the  flank,  De  Soto  with  twenty  horses,  charged 
upon  the  other.  As  the  governor  was  spurring  onward,  an  arrow 
struck  him  upon  his  casque  with  such  force  that  it  rebounded  a 
pike's  length  in  the  air,  and  De  Soto  confessed  afterwards  that 
it  made  his  eyes  flash  fire.  Pressed  by  the  united  shock  of  horse 
and  foot,  the  Indians  made  for  the  entrance  of  the  fort,  but 
these  were  so  narrow  that  a  great  number  were  slaughtered  with- 
out the  walls.  The  Spaniards  rushed  in,  pell-mell,  with  them. 
*     *     * 

"One  of  the  savages  who  had  escaped,  desirous  of  showing 
his  skill  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  separated  himself  from  his 
companions,  and  shouted  to  the  Spaniards,  giving  them  to 
understand,  by  signs  and  words,  that  he  challenged  any  archer 
to  come  out  and  have  a  shot  with  him,  to  prove  which  was  the 
better  marksman.  Upon  this,  Juan  de  Salinas,  a  brave  Austrian 
(Asturian?)  hidalgo,  who  with  some  companions  had  sheltered 
himself  among  trees  from  the  arrows,  stepped  forth,  and  walking 
down  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  took  his  stand  opposite  to  the 
Indian.  One  of  his  companions  called  to  him  to  wait  until 
he  should  come  to  guard  him  with  his  shield ;  but  Salinas  refused 
to  take  any  advantage  of  his  enemy.    He  placed  an  arrow  in  his 

50 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

cross-bow,  while  the  Indian  also  selected  one  from  his  quiver, 
and  both  drew  at  the  same  moment. 

"The  dart  of  Juan  de  Salinas  took  effect,  and  pierced  the 
Indian's  breast.  He  would  have  fallen,  but  was  received  in  the 
arms  of  his  companions,  who  bore  him  away,  more  dead  than 
alive.  The  Indian's  arrow  pierced  the  Spaniard  in  the  nape  of 
the  neck  and  remained  crossed  in  the  wound.  Salinas  returned 
with  it  in  this  state  to  his  comrades,  well  pleased  with  his  success. 

"The  comrades  of  the  fallen  Indian  allowed  him  to  depart 
without  molestation,  as  the  challenge  had  been  man  to  man." 


The  bravery  thus  displayed,  not  only  by  the  Chickasaws 
as  a  nation,  but  by  the  Chickasaw  warrior  who  defiantly  chal- 
lenged any  archer  of  the  De  Soto  army  to  single  combat,  com- 
mands the  admiration  of  all  who  respect  valor,  and  those  who 
willingly  offer  their  lives  upon  the  altar  of  their  country  that 
their  countrymen  may  enjoy  the  priceless  privilege  of  freedom. 

Can  any  Mississippian,  Tennessean,  Kentuckian,  or  Ala- 
bamian  whose  home  once  lay  within  the  domains  of  that  splendid 
territory  over  which  the  Chickasaws  were  the  acknowledged 
overlords,  read  the  simple  story  left  by  the  Spaniards  of  the 
fight  for  liberty  made  by  the  Chickasaws,  and  not  be  thrilled 
with  emotions  of  admiration  for  those  who  first  occupied  their 
homes? 

Claiborne,  the  greatest  of  Mississippi  historians,  after 
giving  an  account  of  the  battle  of  the  Chickasaws  with  the 
Spaniards  for  freedom,  eloquently  concludes: 

"History  records  no  bolder  enterprise.  A  fortified  camp, 
defended  by  the  best  soldiers  of  Europe,  armed  with  what  the 
Indians  called  thunder  and  lightning,  attacked  by  naked  savages 
with  bows  and  war  clubs:  All  honor  to  this  noble  race  of  war- 
riors— these  native  Mississippians  who  subsequently,  in  defense 
of  their  homes  and  fireside,  defeated  and  disgraced  three  French 
armies  sent  to  subdue  them.  And  may  this  ever  be  the  fate  of 
the  invader  of  the  territory  of  a  free  people." 


51 


CHAPTER  IV 

TOPOGRAPHY  OF  THE  COUNTRY  BETWEEN  THE  CHICKASAW 
COUNTRY  AND  CHICKASAW  BLUFFS 

On  February  18,  191 7,  Dr.  Dunbar  Rowland,  Director  of 
the  Mississippi  Department  of  Archives  and  History,  published 
a  paper  in  the  Commercial  Appeal,  the  purpose  of  which  was  to 
show  that  De  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi  River  in  Tunica 
County,  Mississippi,  at  a  point  he  cannot  locate;  and  it  may  be 
added,  nor  can  any  one  else. 

Soon  thereafter  Judge  J.  P.  Young,  author  of  the  History  of 
Memphis  and  other  works,  replied  to  Dr.  Rowland  in  a  very 
vigorous  manner,  insisting  that  De  Soto  discovered  the  great 
river  at  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff,  named  after  that  intrepid 
and  splendid  nation,  the  Chickasaws;  these  bluffs  being  their 
entrepot  or  landing,  from  which,  on  the  bosom  of  the  Father  of 
Waters,  they  traveled  in  their  water  craft  to  the  northern- 
most parts  of  their  princely  domains,  which  stretched  up  the 
Mississippi,  then  up  the  Ohio  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee 
to  the  dividing  ridge  between  it  and  the  Cumberland  River,  in 
what  is  now  the  State  of  Kentucky.  Memphis  is  built  on  the 
Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff,  and  if  Judge  Young  is  correct,  it  was 
here  that  the  great  river  was  first  discovered  in  May,  1541. 

Centenary  Vol.  II,  Publications  of  the  Mississippi  Historical 
Society,  so  ably  edited  by  Dr.  Rowland,  has  just  come  to  hand, 
and  contains  the  two  papers  referred  to,  together  with  a  second 
paper  by  Dr.  Rowland  in  reply  to  Judge  Young. 

These  papers  having  thus  been  put  in  permanent  form,  the 
purpose  of  this  paper  is  to  meet  Dr.  Rowland  on  his  favorite 
arena,  as  disclosed  in  his  last  paper,  and  to  show  beyond  a 
reasonable  doubt  that  De  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi,  the 

52 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

longest  river  in  the  world,  at  the  point  whereon  Memphis  is  now 
situated. 

Like  Judge  Young,  from  childhood  to  young  manhood  I 
lived  in  Mississippi,  in  De  Soto  County,  fifteen  miles  southeast 
of  Memphis,  and  love  that  State;  but  the  question  is  at  what 
point  was  the  river  discovered,  and  this  question  must  be  an- 
swered according  to  the  facts  as  they  were,  and  not  as  we  would 
have  them  to  be. 

Dr.  Rowland  Has  Shifted  the  Bulwark  of  His  Defense— 

The  discussion  between  the  two  eminent  authors  as  disclosed 
in  the  papers  is  pitched  on  high  ground,  as  become  men  of  their 
character,  and  I  would  not  have  it  supposed  that  in  what  I  may 
say  I  desire  in  any  way  to  make  invidious  criticisms,  for  my 
only  purpose  is  to  throw  light  on  this  most  interesting  question, 
and  contribute,  if  I  can,  to  its  proper  solution. 

That  Dr.  Rowland  has  shifted  the  main  bulwark  of  the 
defense  of  his  theory  I  think  is  quite  plain,  for  in  his  first  paper 
on  page  145  of  the  work  referred  to,  he  says: 

"I  freely  admit  in  the  outset  that  the  claim  of  Memphis  as 
the  place  where  the  great  river  was  discovered  has  been  accepted 
by  some  Memphians  but  that  acceptance  has,  no  doubt,  been 
based  on  the  narrative  of  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  'the  Inca,'  which 
careful  and  complete  investigation  has  shown  to  be  unreliable, 
and  not  in  accord  with  the  narrative  of  the  facts  as  given  in  all 
contemporary  accounts." 

Further  on  I  will  challenge  this  conclusion  as  to  the  "Inca." 
But  for  the  present  mark  that  he  says  the  claim  of  Memphis  has 
been  accepted  "by  some  Memphians,"  the  plain  implication  being 
that  only  "by  some  Memphians"  claim  that  the  river  was  dis- 
covered here,  and  that  the  claim  has  no  other  support. 

Judge  Young  met  this  claim  of  Dr.  Rowland  and  utterly 
destroyed  it,  by  showing  that  many  historians,  through  a  series 
of  many  years,  had  designated  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff  as  the 
place  where  De  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi.     What  is  of 

53 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

prime  importance  is  that  among  these  authors  cited  by  Judge 
Young,  and  from  whom  he  quoted,  was  Bancroft,  whose  repu- 
tation as  an  accurate  and  accomplished  historian  is  nation-wide, 
and  I  think  it  may  be  said  he  has  international  reputation,  and 
greater  than  that  of  all  the  historians  cited  by  Dr.  Rowland,  if 
it  were  possible  to  combine  their  several  reputations  in  one. 

And,  moreover,  Judge  Young  also  quotes  from  J.  F.  H. 
Claiborne,  in  Mississippi  as  a  State  and  Territory,  easily  the 
most  noted  of  all  Mississippi  historians,  for  Claiborne  likewise 
supports  the  claim  that  the  river  was  discovered  where  Memphis 
now  stands. 

Evidently  the  idea  that  the  claim  of  Memphis  has  been 
accepted  only  "by  some  Memphians"  was  exploded. 

In  his  second  paper  (p.  159)  Dr.  Rowland  says  that  the  most 
reliable  source  of  information  is  found  in  original  records.  Next 
in  importance,  he  insists,  comes  the  topography  and  geology  of 
the  country  through  which  the  expedition  passed.  To  these 
views  I  give  my  hearty  assent,  and  upon  this  arena  which  Dr. 
Rowland  has  thus  chosen,  I  wish  to  meet  him. 

His  statement  that  the  geology  of  the  country  is  the  same 
is  entirely  correct;  but  his  further  statement  that  the  topography 
is  the  same  is  only  partially  correct,  for  the  Indian  villages  and 
forests  are  not  only  gone,  but  a  large  part  of  the  hills  on  the 
route  have  been  so  gullied  and  gutted  by  rains  and  the  elements 
since  the  country  was  denuded  of  its  forests,  the  valleys  so  filled 
with  sand,  and  the  rivers  and  creeks  so  choked  up  and  dwindled 
away,  as  to  present  only  a  faint  topographical  resemblance  to 
the  time  of  De  Soto,  now  (19 19)  378  years  ago. 

The  late  Ab  Myers,  of  Byhalia,  Mississippi,  speaking  to 
me  on  this  subject  many  years  ago,  said  that  he  had  all  the  works 
of  De  Tocqueville,  the  noted  French  philosopher  and  writer,  and 
that  De  Tocqueville  in  his  travels  through  that  part  of  the  state, 
noticing  the  great  quantities  of  sand  in  the  soil,  predicted  that 
in  100  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  country,  it  would  become 
a  howling  wilderness.     It  must  be  admitted  that  the  prophecy 

54 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

has  been  to  some  extent  fulfilled,  but  quite  enough  remains  for 
the  present  discussion. 

I  hasten  to  add,  parenthetically,  that  in  recent  years  less 
cotton  is  being  planted  in  the  Mississippi  uplands,  while  more 
livestocks  of  all  kinds  are  raised,  and  these  changes,  coupled  with 
diversification  in  farming,  are  working  a  transformation  in  the 
state. 

In  a  recent  letter  to  me  by  W.  T.  Ross,  cashier  of  the  Holly 
Springs  Bank,  who  has  been  connected  therewith  for  forty 
years,  he  says: 

"Holly  Springs  was  named  for  the  beautiful  spring  sur- 
rounded by  holly  trees,  but  the  sand  has  covered  up  the  spring, 
and  not  a  holly  tree  is  to  be  seen.  My  father  told  me  that  when 
he  came  here  in  1836,  the  spring  was  about  thirty  feet  wide  and 
ten  feet  deep,  and  would  swim  a  horse.  This  spring  formed  a 
bold  creek  that  emptied  into  Tallaloosa,  southwest  of  the  town." 

When  Mr.  Ross  was  a  lad,  the  spring  was  still  running  pretty 
strong.  On  July  21,  1918,  he  walked  with  me  over  and  through 
back  yards  to  show  me  the  spot  where  this  beautiful  spring  once 
flowed,  not  a  vestige  of  it  or  its  beautiful  trees  being  left,  its  site 
being  in  what  appeared  to  be  a  back  yard  for  cattle ! 

How  Language  Should  be  Interpreted— 

We  all  know  that  there  is  no  direct  communication  between 
the  minds  of  men,  and  that  our  thoughts,  conceptions,  and  ideas 
must  usually  be  conveyed  by  words,  written  or  spoken.  The 
frailty  of  human  speech  or  written  language  to  correctly  convey 
what  we  wish  others  to  know  has  often  been  lamented,  and  we 
are  frequently  forced  to  resort  to  rules  of  interpretation.  Inter- 
pretation may  be  defined  as  the  art  of  finding  out  the  true  sense 
of  any  set  of  words;  that  is,  the  sense  which  their  author  intended 
to  convey.  In  order  to  do  this  we  must  view  the  situation  of  the 
party  who  wrote  the  words,  as  well  as  all  his  surroundings,  so  as 
to  place  ourselves  in  the  position  which  he  occupied.  Applying 
the  principle  to  the  subject  of  this  discussion  we  must  inquire 

55 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

what  was  the  topography  of  the  country  through  which  the 
writers  had  to  pass;  what  roads  or  trails,  if  any,  could  be  made 
available,  and  their  respective  difficulties,  and  generally  to  put 
ourselves  in  their  places  so  as  to  ascertain  the  true  meaning  of  the 
language  used.  This  leads  us  to  a  consideration  of  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  country,  and  what  was  the  most  available  route  to 
pursue  for  the  objects  of  the  expedition.  Manifestly,  likewise, 
all  that  the  narrators  say  must  be  considered  and  construed  to- 
gether, and  not  quoted  in  part,  much  less  garbled,  as  I  think  has 
been  done. 

In  Lieber's  Hermeneutics,  or  the  principles  of  interpretation 
and  construction  (p.  71),  it  is  said: 

"In  the  first  place  it  must  begin  with  what  is  likewise  the 
first  rule  of  criticism. 

"We  must  convince  ourselves  that  the  text  be  genuine,  that 
is  that  it  has  proceeded  from  the  utterer  from  whom  it  purports 
to  have  proceeded,  or  from  whom  others  assert  it  to  have  pro- 
ceeded ;  or  that  it  belongs  to  that  period  at  which  it  is  maintained 
that  it  originated.  This  is  a  rule  of  paramount  importance  in  all 
departments,  and  not  the  least  so  in  politics,  whether  it  refer  to 
documents  issued  by  the  highest  authority,  or  to  reports  of 
speeches,  or  to  conversational  sayings  of  a  political  char- 
acter." 

The  correctness  of  these  principles  is  so  obvious  that  it 
would  seem  unneccessary  to  appeal  thereto;  nevertheless,  we  will 
see  further  on  a  flagrant  violation  of  the  foregoing  elementary  and 
paramount  rule,  in  that  the  texts  of  the  narratives  have  been 
misquoted  and  garbled  to  a  degree  that  is  surprising.  We  need 
not  impute  any  improper  motive,  and  indeed  may  assume  that 
everything  has  been  written  in  the  utmost  good  faith;  never- 
theless, the  question  remains  as  to  what  is  the  true  interpretation 
of  the  language  used  by  the  various  narrators;  and  fidelity  in 
strictly  quoting  the  exact  language  as  written  lies  at  the  very 
threshold  of  this  discussion,  and  can  not  be  evaded  if  we  would 
rather  pursue  another  course. 

56 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  Trails  of  the  Chickasaw  Indians— 

In  the  celebrated  conference  between  the  Chickasaw,  Creek, 
and  Cherokee  Indians  at  Nashville  in  1792,  and  Governor  Blount, 
James  Robertson,  and  others,  Piomingo,  the  great  Chickasaw 
chief,  thus  described  the  boundaries  of  their  lands: 

"I  will  describe  the  boundaries  of  our  lands.  It  begins  on 
the  Ohio  at  the  ridge  which  divides  the  waters  of  Tennessee  and 
Cumberland,  and  extends  with  the  ridge,  eastwardly,  as  far  as 
the  most  eastern  waters  of  Elk  River;  thence  across  the  Tennessee, 
and  a  neck  of  land,  to  Tenchacunda  Creek,  a  southern  branch  of 
the  Tennessee,  and  up  the  same  to  its  source;  thence  to  the  waters 
of  the  Tombigby;  that  is,  to  the  west  fork  of  Long  Leaf  Pine 
Creek,  and  down  it  to  the  line  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws, 
a  little  below  the  trading  road." 

In  1794  President  George  Washington  gave  to  the  Chicka- 
saws a  certificate  confirming  to  them  their  right  to  the  territory  so 
described  by  Piomingo. 

The  expression  often  used  with  respect  to  the  condition  of 
this  country  at  the  time  of  its  discovery,  as  being  a  pathless 
wilderness,  has  in  it  scarcely  a  vestige  of  truth.  The  trails  or 
traces  of  the  Indians  extended  hundreds  of  miles  in  all  directions 
and  they  criss  crossed  each  other  over  the  whole  continent,  and 
over  these  the  Indians  constantly  traveled  on  continuous  trips 
thousands  of  miles.  The  Chickasaws  were  great  travelers,  and 
thought  nothing  of  going  to  the  far  West,  over  their  trails  to 
Mobile  on  the  Gulf,  to  Savannah  and  Charleston  on  the  Atlantic, 
and  to  the  Great  Lakes  in  the  far  North,  where  they  waged 
furious  warfare  with  the  Iroquois. 

The  Indians,  and  the  Chickasaws  in  particular,  were  past- 
masters  in  all  woodcraft  and  knew  the  topography  of  the  country 
and  all  its  conditions  almost  by  instinct;  and  as  a  general  rule 
what  may  be  termed  their  principal  trails  or  highways  ran  along 
the  crest  of  ridges  in  such  manner  as  not  only  to  avoid  crossing 
water  courses   but   passing  over  stony  places  or  through  thick 

57 


S 


/ 

\ 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

scrub  and  briars  or  dense  timber,  so  as  to  protect  their  footgear, 
their  clothing,  and  their  flesh  as  well. 

Their  trails  or  traces  were  far  superior  to  any  the  white  man 
could  locate,  and  the  early  use  by  white  pioneers  of  these  Indian 
trails  was  a  constant  source  of  friction,  for  the  Indians  resented 
that  use.  As  soon  as  state  governments  were  organized,  roads 
were  laid  out  over  these  traces;  and  the  United  States  govern- 
ment made  these  trails  available.  Thus,  the  Chickasaws  had  a 
trail  leading  from  about  where  Natchez,  Mississippi,  now  is  on 
to  the  Cumberland  River  where  Nashville  is  now  situated,  and 
the  trail  led  thence  onward  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  over  which 
the  Chickasaws  traveled.  It  became  very  necessary  both  for 
military  and  civil  purposes  to  have  a  road  over  which  wagons 
could  pass  from  the  growing  settlement  on  the  Cumberland  to 
the  settlement  at  Natchez  on  the  Mississippi,  and  after  long 
negotiations  and  much  difficulty,  the  United  States  finally  in- 
duced the  Chickasaws,  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  to  enter  into 
the  treaty  of  October  26,  1801,  by  which  the  Chickasaws  granted 
to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  permission 

"to  lay  out,  open,  and  make  a  convenient  wagon  road  through 
their  lands  between  the  settlement  of  Mero  District  in  the  State 
of  Tennessee,  and  that  of  Natchez  in  the  Mississippi  Territory, 
in  such  way  and  manner  as  he  may  deem  proper;  and  the  same 
shall  be  a  highway  for  the  United  States  and  the  Chickasaws." 

The  ferries  crossing  all  streams  were  reserved  by  the  Indians, 
as  these  at  that  time  were  valuable. 

General  Andrew  Jackson  laid  out  the  road,  following  the 
Indian  trail,  which  remained  in  use  until  superseded  by  the 
advent  of  railroads  and  steamboats. 

This  celebrated  Natchez  trail  was  crossed  by  the  no  less 
important  trail  to  the  Chickasaws  than  that  commencing  at  the 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  on  the  Mississippi  River,  and  running  thence 
southwardly  to  the  Gulf  coast  where  Mobile,  Alabama,  now  is, 
and  this  great  Chickasaw  highway  will  next  be  noticed. 

58 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

If  you  look  into  the  history  of  James  Adair,  published  in 
London  in  1775,  and  their  best  early  historian,  or  nearly  any 
book  of  reference,  you  will  see  it  stated  that  the  Chickasaws  were 
seated  in  north  Mississippi,  near  where  Pontotoc  now  is,  160  miles 
from  the  Mississippi  River,  some  of  them  saying,  from  the  river 
at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  In  a  direct  line  it  is  not  100  miles  from 
Memphis  to  Pontotoc,  and  I  was  puzzled  for  some  time  to  under- 
stand how  the  Indian  trail  could  be  160  miles  long  between  those 
points. 

The  explanation  is  that  the  old  chroniclers  in  giving  the 
distance  computed  it  according  to  the  great  trail  of  the  Chicka- 
saws, which  could  be  used  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  of 
course  along  high  ground  and  the  crest  of  a  ridge  nearly  all  the 
way.  Thus,  by  leaving  the  Chickasaw  Bluff  and  crossing  Wolf 
River  near  Memphis  at  Raleigh,  where  the  high  land  comes 
down  in  an  abrupt  precipice  to  the  water,  or  even  nearer  Memphis, 
you  can  travel  almost  dry  shod  to  Hardeman  County  near  Boli- 
var; and  thence  taking  the  crest  of  the  well  known  Pontotoc 
ridge  southward  you  will  pass  over  the  highest  ground  in  all 
Mississippi,  about  700  feet  above  the  sea,  lying  in  Tippah  County; 
and  thence  on  to  Pontotoc,  and  during  all  this  journey  you  will 
scarcely  cross  a  stream,  a  distance  of  about  160  miles. 

In  Vol.  I,  Centenary  Series  (p.  467),  George  J.  Leftwich  has 
an  interesting  article  entitled  "Some  Main  Traveled  Roads, 
Including  Cross-Sections  of  Natchez  Trace";  and  speaking  of  the 
Chickasaw  highway  trail  from  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  to  their 
home  in  north  Mississippi,  and  leading  onward  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  at  Mobile,  he  says: 

"On  the  attached  map  is  plainly  marked  out  also  the 
Bolivar  Indian  trail,  which  ran  from  Memphis  to  Mobile,  by  way 
of  the  Chickasaw  towns  in  Lee  County,  and  down  the  Tombigbee 
River  to  St.  Stevens  and  Mobile;  from  the  Chickasaw  towns 
near  Tupelo,  it  passed  northwest  by  Ripley,  by  Bolivar,  Tennes- 
see, on  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  The  Bolivar  trail  was  the  route, 
of  travel  followed  by  the  Indians  and  pioneers,  leading  from  the 

59 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Tombigbee  country  by  way  of  Bolivar  to  Fort  Adams  (now 
Memphis)  on  the  Mississippi;  and  afforded  access  for  the 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  to  west  Tennessee,  which  was  known 
as  the  common  hunting  ground  for  the  Indians  who  lived  in 
Kentucky  on  the  north,  and  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  on 
the  south.  Williams,  in  his  Old  Times  in  West  Tennessee,  says 
that  this  road  was  pursued  circuitously  in  order  to  avoid  the 
crossing  of  the  streams  so  numerous  in  the  country  farther  south, 
which  largely  trend  westward  towards  the  Holly  Springs  country, 
which  were  harder  to  cross;  Indians  always  avoid  as  much  as 
possible  water  courses." 

Note  that  it  is  said  the  waters  trend  westward  towards  the 
Holly  Springs  country,  and  this  is  correct,  for  the  headwaters 
of  both  the  Tallahatchie  and  Coldwater  Rivers  commence  in  the 
Tippah  Highlands.  It  should  also  be  noted  that  the  highlands  of 
Tippah,  the  highest  in  the  state,  extend  an  elbow  or  a  spur  down 
into  Marshall  County,  embracing  Holly  Springs,  and  over  this 
high  elbow  or  spur  and  across  adjacent  streams  and  their  bottoms 
the  Chickasaw  short-cut,  or  dry  weather  trail,  ran,  this  trail 
running  in  almost  a  straight  northwest  direction  from  the  seat 
of  the  Chickasaws  in  what  is  now  Pontotoc  County  to  the  Fourth 
Chickasaw  Bluff,  the  entrepot  of  that  nation.  Here  a  neck  of 
high  land  projects  itself  to  the  edge  of  the  river,  making  a  high, 
precipitous  bluff,  the  high  land  stretching  back  in  the  shape  of  a 
fan,  making  the  bluffs  an  ideal  place  for  a  permanent  landing  of 
rare  value  to  the  Indians,  and  a  place  whereon  to  build  a  great 
city;  hence  the  subsequent  location  of  Memphis  here,  often 
called  the  Bluff  City. 

These  short-cut  trails  were  indispensable  to  the  Indians,  for 
the  news  of  an  invasion  or  other  matter  of  great  importance 
could  only  be  carried  by  a  messenger  running  on  foot,  and  the 
Chickasaws  were  celebrated  in  this  respect.  Thus,  Adair  tells  of 
a  young  Chickasaw,  who,  on  an  emergency,  and  being  pursued, 
ran  from  where  Mobile,  Alabama,  is  now  located  (a  distance  of 
300  computed  miles)  in  forty- two  hours ;  whereas  Adair  says 
he  could   scarcely  make   the  same   trip   in    140   hours,    though 

60 


The  Chickasaw   Nation 

riding  a  very  superior  saddle  horse.  This  Indian  carried  no  pro- 
visions, depending  upon  such  herbs  as  he  could  snatch  up  on 
the  way  for  sustenance,  and  yet  not  allowing  him  a  moment  to 
eat  or  to  sleep,  he  traveled  night  and  day  at  an  average  rate  of 
over  seven  miles  an  hour  for  forty- two  consecutive  hours! 

When  D'Artaguette  came  from  Canada  down  the  Mississippi 
in  1736,  with  his  French  and  Indian  army,  for  the  avowed 
purpose  of  joining  Bienville's  army  coming  from  the  south  to 
annihilate  the  Chickasaws,  he  landed  his  army  at  the  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  and  proceeded  thence  to  the  seat  of  the  Chickasaws  in 
north  Mississippi,  where  both  armies  suffered  an  inglorious 
defeat  at  the  hands  of  the  invincible  Chickasaws. 

In  the  discussion  of  any  subject  it  is  well  to  have  correct  data 
as  a  foundation  on  which  to  proceed;  and  as  this  has  been  some- 
what difficult  to  obtain  with  respect  to  the  topography  of  the 
country  in  question,  I  will  set  it  down  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
may  prefer  accuracy  to  mere  speculation  or  rhetoric. 

In  a  letter  to  me  of  date  October  3,  1918,  Dr.  E.  N.  Lowe, 
the  efficient  geologist  of  Mississippi,  says: 

"i.  The  annual  rainfall  in  the  latitude  of  Holly  Springs  is 
fifty  inches,  pretty  evenly  distributed  over  the  region  of  Marshall 
and  adjacent  hill  counties. 

"2.  From  my  own  measurements  the  highest  point  in 
Mississippi  is  at  Blue  Mountain,  the  Bald  Knob,  a  few  hundred 
yards  northeast  of  Mississippi  Heights  School,  rising  to  690  feet 
above  sea  level.  I  have  been  informed  that  a  point  near  Iuka 
rises  to  more  than  700  feet,  and  I  am  inclined  to  believe  this, 
though  I  do  not  know  that  it  is  true.  Dr.  F.  T.  Carmack  of  Iuka 
claims  to  have  seen  the  altitude  taken  by  government  engi- 
neers. 

"3.  The  highlands  about  Holly  Springs  seems  to  be  inde- 
pendent of  the  Tippah  Highlands,  separated  from  that  ridge  at 
the  nearest  point  by  about  twenty  miles  of  lower  intervening 
regions. 

"4.  Altitude  of  railroad  station  at  Holly  Springs  is  602  feet ; 
a  mile  south  of  the  station  the  railroad  track  rises  considerably 
higher." 

61 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

To  the  same  effect  I  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  W.  T.  Lowrey, 
the  well  known  president  of  Blue  Mountain  College,  which  was 
founded  by  General  M.  P.  Lowrey,  the  father  of  W.  T.  Lowrey, 
in  1873.  The  large  hill  called  Blue  Mountain  acquired  that  name 
in  the  remote  past,  and  long  before  the  college  was  located  there. 
Dr.  Lowrey  says  he  was  told  that  the  name  originated  with  the 
young  people  of  Ripley  before  the  Civil  War,  when  they  drove 
through  the  country  from  Ripley  to  visit  Colonel  Brougher's 
family,  who  lived  in  a  palatial  residence  which  was  located 
where  the  main  dormitory  of  Blue  Mountain  College  is  now 
situated,  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  add  that  the  name  Blue  Mountain 
originated  from  the  beautiful  blue  mountainous  view  here 
afforded.  As  might  be  expected,  the  adjacent  country  abounds  in 
many  bold  springs  of  clear  freestone,  wholesome  water,  making 
the  country  very  attractive  and  healthful,  and  an  ideal  location 
for  an  educational  institution. 

C.  C.  Pashby  for  many  years  was  connected  with  the 
engineer's  office  of  Memphis,  and  for  some  time  has  been  the  city 
clerk,  and  is  a  man  of  accurate  information,  and  in  a  recent 
letter  he  says : 

"Replying  to  your  inquiries  concerning  the  altitude  of 
Memphis  above  the  river  and  above  the  gulf,  annual  rainfall, 
etc.: 

"I  beg  to  advise  that  the  following  points  are  given,  together 
with  their  elevation  above  the  zero  point  on  the  river  gauge, 
and  the  elevation  above  the  mean  level  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico: 

Above  Zero     Above  Gulf 
River  Gauge     of  Mexico. 

Madison  and  Front 88  270 

Jackson  Mounds  (De  Soto  Pk) 102  284 

Bellevue  &  K.  C.  Junction 136  318 

Mississippi  &  Trigg 138  320 

Tri-State  Fair 134  316 

S.  W.  Corner  Overton  Park 100  282 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"The  zero  gauge  referred  to  is  the  lowest  point  where  the  river 
is  supposed  to  have  reached,  at  a  date  back  in  the  eigh teen- 
seventies;  though  I  have  heard  that  it  went  some  two  or 
three  feet  lower  since  then. 

"I  have  consulted  some  of  the  United  States  reports  in  an 
effort  to  find  the  elevation  of  Holly  Springs,  but  have  been 
unable  to  do  so.  However,  I  did  learn  the  elevation  of  the  fol- 
lowing cities: 

Tupelo 279  feet 

Jackson,  Tenn 396  feet 

Grand  Junction 582  feet 

"The  rainfall  in  this  locality  varies  from  about  thirty-three 
inches  to  a  record  of  something  like  seventy- two  inches,  with  an 
average  of  about  forty-five." 

It  will  be  noted  that  there  are  considerable  differences  in  the 
altitude  of  nearby  places  in  Memphis,  a  fact  to  which  I  will  refer 
further  on,  when  I  will  show  that  the  criticism  of  Prof.  Lewis  as 
to  statements  made  by  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega  with  reference  to 
the  topography  of  the  country  where  De  Soto  discovered  the 
Mississippi,  has  no  foundation  upon  which  to  rest. 

But  to  return  to  a  consideration  of  the  Chickasaw  country, 
we  find  that  the  Chickasaws  were  located  on  the  Pontotoc  ridge, 
which  increased  in  altitude  going  north,  reaching  its  highest  point 
in  the  Tippah  Highlands  and  extending  still  further  northward 
into  Tennessee.  This  high  land  or  ridge  divides  the  waters 
flowing  into  the  Mississippi  from  those  flowing  into  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico;  or  it  may  be  termed  the  height  of  land  between  these 
two  great  watersheds. 

All  of  the  country  to  the  west  of  this  height  of  land  quite 
uniformly  slopes  downward  toward  the  Mississippi  River;  and, 
as  might  be  supposed,  the  streams  flow  westward,  those  in  Mis- 
sissippi taking  a  trend  southward  as  they  approach  the  river. 

We  thus  have  these  natural  conditions:  a  warm  climate;  a 
heavy  annual  rainfall,  and  a  gradually    descending    watershed, 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  soil  of  which  has  in  it  much  sand,  some  of  it  impalpably  fine, 
nevertheless  sand.  The  rain  and  sunshine  operating  upon  this 
country  as  the  seasons  succeed  each  other  could  not  fail  to  wear 
down  the  country  into  a  broken  appearance,  with  almost  in- 
numerable small  streams  and  many  more  or  less  considerable 
streams,  and  with  very  rich  alluvial  bottoms.  The  sandy  soil 
washing  down  with  leaves  and  vegetable  matter  gradually  ex- 
tended these  bottoms,  and  from  this  rich  soil  spring  giant  white 
oaks,  red  oaks,  and  many  other  oaks,  besides  immense  gums, 
hickories,  ash,  poplar,  cypress,  and  many  other  varieties  of  the 
finest  timber  to  be  found  in  any  country. 

This  was  precisely  the  character  of  country  over  which 
De  Soto  passed. 

The  Short-Cut  Trail,  or  Pigeon  Roost  Road- 
Having  referred  to  the  long  trail  which  could  be  used  to  the 
best  advantage  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  and  in  all  kinds  of 
weather,  I  will  now  call  attention  to  what,  for  want  of  a  better 
name,  I  will  call  the  short-cut  trail,  which  was  the  shortest 
route  or  way  between  the  Chickasaws'  home  in  north  Mis- 
sissippi  and   the  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 

Under  the  Chickasaw  treaties  of  1832  and  1834,  all  of  the 
Chickasaw  cession  was  laid  off  into  sections,  and  the  roads  in 
Mississippi  run  on  section  lines,  except  where  the  roads  of  the 
white  man  adopted  the  Indian  trails,  and  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road 
falls  into  the  excepted  class,  because  it  follows  the  ancient 
Chickasaw  trail.     It  will  now  be  described. 

This  road  was  laid  out  by  the  Shelby  County  Court  in  1828, 
when  there  was  scarcely  a  handful  of  people  in  the  then  village  of 
Memphis,  and  it  ran  along  the  Chickasaw  short-trail  or  trace. 
The  description  of  the  road,  as  officially  laid  off,  commences 
where  Adams  Street  intersects  Bayou  Gayoso,  the  then 
corporate  limits  of  the  village,  and  after  proceeding  in  a 
southeasterly  direction  with  various  calls  and  courses,  it 
proceeds  thus; 

64 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Thence  with  said  line  of  blaze  bearing  southeastwardly  to 
the  old  Chickasaw  trace  on  top  of  a  ridge ;  thence  with  the  said 
trace,  occasionally  straightening  the  same  on  good  ground,  to 
the  northeast  side  of  a  lagoon  in  the  bottom  (the  lagoon  eviden- 
tly being  in  Nonconnah  bottom),  thence  with  a  line  of  chops 
and  blazes  to  the  creek  (evidently  Nonconnah)  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  ford  on  the  old  trace;  thence  up  the  bank  of  the 
creek  to  the  old  trace,  and  with  it  cutting  across  some  lands  as 
above  to  where  the  same  crosses  the  State  Line." 

By  actual  measurements  recently  made,  Nonconnah  bottom 
begins  eight  miles  from  Second  and  Adams  Streets,  opposite  the 
courthouse  in  Memphis,  passing  along  the  old  Chickasaw  trail, 
as  near  as  that  can  be  now  traveled  in  the  city,  and  then  along  the 
line  of  the  present  Pigeon  Roost  Road.  Nonconnah  is,  a  con- 
siderable creek,  and  was  much  larger  before  the  country  was 
settled.  In  high  water,  even  at  this  day,  the  creek  is  often  a 
mile  wide,  and  anciently  its  bottom  was  filled  with  lagoons  and 
cypress  brakes,  and  difficult  to  cross,  except  under  most  favorable 
conditions.  To  my  knowledge  during  the  Civil  War  the  four 
long  bridges  over  the  sloughs,  and  the  one  over  the  main  stream, 
were  down,  at  least  the  most  of  them  were,  and  a  ferry  was 
maintained  across  the  main  stream,  over  which  I  often  passed. 
In  the  winter  the  road  became  so  out  of  repair  that  for  days  and 
days  no  vehicle  could  pass  over  it.  Nonconnah  bottom  was  then 
infested  by  robbers,  and  three  Federal  soldiers  were  court- 
martialed  and  shot  for  committing  rape  in  that  dreaded  bottom, 
my  father,  Dr.  Franklin  J.  Malone,  being  a  witness  at  the  trial  in 
Memphis.  My  father  died  January  24,  1873,  and  I  rode  from 
Memphis  to  the  old  home  just  across  the  line  in  De  Soto  County 
on  horseback,  as  no  vehicles  were  then  passing  over  the  road,  it 
being  difficult  to  pass  on  horseback,  that  winter  being  an  excep- 
tionally bad  one. 

On  July  21,  191 8,  I  rode  in  my  auto  from  Memphis  to  Holly 
Springs,  a  distance  of  forty-seven  and  nine-tenths  miles,  carefully 
noting  the  water  courses  crossed  by  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road,  and 

65 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

I  do  not  think  that  it  can  be  surpassed  for  its  many  windings, 
turnings,  and  constant  changes  of  courses,  thus  demonstrating 
its  Indian  origin. 

Leaving  the  court  house  at  Memphis,  Nonconnah  bottom 
was  reached  at  eight  miles,  after  descending  Brown's  Hill,  formerly 
rising  abruptly  to  high  land,  and  this  high  land  extends  to  Mem- 
phis. The  bottom  is  a  little  over  one  mile  wide,  and  emerging 
from  this  bottom  the  land  is  not  high  for  some  miles,  but  low, 
and  formerly  swampy.  This  low  level  land  may  be  designated, 
according  to  local  description,  as  second  bottom  lands,  and 
extends  from  the  true  or  low  bottom  lands,  about  two  miles, 
passing  through  the  village  of  Oakville  (formerly  called  Shake- 
rag),  to  a  small  creek  or  large  branch  with  a  good  sized 
bottom,  and  then  the  road  goes  up  on  rolling  land.  Further  on 
Ten-Mile  Branch  is  crossed,  its  name  implying  its  distance  from 
Memphis.  Capleville  is  reached  at  thirteen  miles,  and  by  it,  or 
rather  where  it  now  stands,  there  flowed  in  1859,  and  for  years 
thereafter  to  my  knowledge,  a  beautiful  creek  with  delightful 
fish  in  it.  Today  what  is  left  of  it  forms  a  big  ditch  not  made  by 
nature,  but  by  the  hand  of  man,  about  one-eighth  of  a  mile  to 
the  north,  in  which  you  may  sometimes  see  a  muddy  conglom- 
erate to  which  the  phrase  may  be  applied,  "as  dull  as  ditch 
water."  The  fate  of  this  stream,  on  the  upper  waters  of  which, 
three  miles  distant,  in  my  boyhood  days  I  swam  and  sported, 
catching  beautiful  fish,  is  the  common  fate  of  all  the  streams 
through  this  section  of  the  country.  A  few  hundred  yards  beyond 
Capleville  another  creek  is  crossed. 

I  will  now  give  the  small  creeks  and  distances  crossed  from 
Memphis  to  Holly  Springs  from  this  point. 

At  the  State  Line,  15.5  miles;  17.6  miles;  18.3  miles  (Olive 
Branch  passed);  20.8  miles;  23.8  miles  (at  Miller's);  25.6  miles 
(this  is  Coldwater  River,  with  a  bottom  one  mile  wide);  29.3 
miles;  (Byhalia  passed,  30.1),  and  at  30.9  miles  (Byhalia  Creek), 
and  31.7  miles  (Byhalia  Creek  again  crossed,  at  least  this  was  the 
name  given  me);  34  miles;  34.7  miles,  good  sized  creek  near 

66 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Victoria;  (passing  Red  Banks  at  39  miles);  40.4  miles;  41.8 miles; 
42.8  miles  (good  size);  43.7  miles  (good  size);  thence  to  Holly 
Springs,  47.9  miles,  from  the  point  of  beginning,  which  was 
opposite  the  court  house  in  Memphis. 

I  need  scarcely  add  that  every  stream  crossed  has  its  bottom 
more  or  less  wide,  according  to  its  size,  and  the  abruptness  of  the 
hills  rising  from  its  bosom. 

These  bottoms  were  veritable  wildernesses  to  anyone  com- 
pelled to  cross  them  before  the  country  was  settled  up. 

One  of  the  most  notable  features  of  the  landscape  that 
could  not  fail  to  attract  the  attention  of  any  observant  person 
was  the  beautiful  view  afforded  about  two  miles  from  Holly 
Springs,  approaching  that  city  on  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road  from 
the  northwest.  The  road  leads  up  to  the  brow  of  a  long  hill,  and 
the  outlines  of  the  city  can  be  faintly  seen  in  the  distance 
apparently  with  a  mountainous  background,  and  with  inter, 
vening  lowlands  between  the  observer  and  the  city.  Or,  expressed 
in  other  words,  the  city  was  apparently  silhouetted  upon  the 
horizon,  with  a  mountainous  background;  a  very  pleasing  view 
to  those  who  live  in  a  comparatively  flat  country.  This  feature 
of  the  landscape  will  be  found  to  be  very  important  when  we 
come  to  carefully  consider  the  descriptions  given  by  the  various 
narratives  of  the  country  over  which  De  Soto  marched  his  army. 

It  is  also  an  undeniable  fact  that  upon  the  ridges  and  little 
plateaus  throughout  this  region  there  were  numerous  depressions, 
locally  called  ponds,  which  are  well  described  in  the  words  of  the 
Gentleman  of  Elvas  as  "pondy  places,"  "basins  or  lakes." 
Sometimes  these  pondy  places  covered,  say,  only  an  acre,  with 
aquatic  plants  and  shrubs  in  them,  drying  up  in  midsummer; 
while  others  were  deeper,  and  covered  some  acres,  were  clear  of 
all  trees  or  shrubs  and  could  be  designated  as  lakes;  and  on 
these,  numerous  ducks  and  other  wild  fowl  found  feeding  places, 
and  they  never  dried  up.  The  river  and  larger  bottoms  were  liter- 
ally covered  with  lagoons,  and  what  are  locally  called  cypress 
brakes,  many  of  them  containing  deep  water  throughout  the 

67 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

year,   having  soft  mud  bottoms  over  which  it  was  extremely 
difficult  to  pass. 

In  reference  to  the  cypress  brakes,  as  they  are  locally  called, 
it  may  be  stated  that  they  abounded  in  all  the  bottoms  similar  to 
that  of  Nonconnah,  and  deserve  further  notice.  There  are  in  the 
old  world,  as  well  as  in  America,  many  species  of  cypress,  but  the 
discovery  in  the  Southern  states  of  this  country  of  what  is  called 
"Swamp  Cypress,"  or  "Bald  Cypress,"  was  a  distinct  surprise 
to  botanists  and  naturalists  in  general.  It  is  one  of  the  loftiest 
trees,  grows  to  a  height  of  170  feet,  and  of  such  massive  trunks  as 
to  be  sometimes  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  usually 
grows  in  or  near  water,  or  on  low  land  subject  to  frequent  inun- 
dations. More  than  100  years  ago  Bartram  said  of  it: 

"This  cypress  is  in  the  first  order  of  North  American  trees. 
Its  majestic  stature  is  surprising.  On  approaching  we  are  struck 
with  a  kind  of  awe  at  beholding  the  stateliness  of  its  trunk, 
lifting  its  cumbrous  top  towards  the  sky  and  casting  a  wide 
shadow  on  the  ground,  as  a  dark,  intervening  cloud,  which  from 
time  to  time  excludes  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  delicacy  of  its 
color  and  the  texture  of  its  leaves  exceed  everything  in  vege- 
tation." 

It  is  said  to  be  remarkable  in  that  it  is  little  affected  by  the 
dryness  or  excessive  moisture  in  the  atmosphere,  for  on  the  same 
tree  different  forms  of  branches  and  foliage  will  sometimes  be 
found  to  exist,  which  are  capable  of  either  aiding  or  preventing 
the  escape  of  moisture. 

Another  remarkable  thing  about  this  Southern  cypress  is 
a  large  conical  excrescence  which  rises  from  the  roots  of  the  trees, 
called  cypress  knees,  the  cause  or  reason  for  their  growth  being 
unknown,  and  as  to  which  much  speculation  has  been  indulged. 
They  are  hollow,  and  where  the  tree  grows  in  water,  the  knees 
rise  above  the  surface,  there  sometimes  being  as  many  as  one 
hundred  under  a  tree.  Where  the  tree  grows  on  land  not  sub- 
merged, there  are  no  knees.  Some  cypress  brakes  in  large  bottoms 

68 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

were  miles  long  and  wide ;  and  it  can  be  readily  seen  that  where 
the  ground  was  submerged  and  with  knees  interspersed,  it  would 
form  an  almost  impassable  barrier. 

The  wood  of  this  cypress  was  and  is  extremely  valuable  for 
shingles,  which  last  for  forty  years;  besides,  it  was  much  used  for 
fencing,  interior  paneling  for  doors,  windows,  etc.,  hence  it  was 
one  of  the  first  giants  of  the  forest  to  fall  under  the  woodman's  ax, 
and  now,  alas,  they  have  nearly  disappeared  from  the  bottoms 
of  our  upland  country. 

There  is  one  lone  sentinel,  like  a  spectre  of  the  past,  growing 
out  of  the  north  bank  of  Nonconnah,  a  few  inches  from  the  west 
side  of  the  iron  bridge  on  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road,  and  evidently 
spared  because  the  bridge  would  lodge  against  it,  in  case  it  should 
be  moved  by  a  great  flood.  It  is  a  double  or  twin  tree,  and  while 
not  one  of  the  giants  of  its  tribe,  still  gives  some  faint  idea  of 
what  those  monarchs  of  the  forest  were  like. 

A  few  feet  below  this  same  bridge  there  will  also  be  seen  a 
miniature  island  in  midstream,  on  which  small  trees  are  growing. 
The  passing  throng  would  never  suppose  that  as  late  as  during 
the  Civil  War  there  was  not  only  no  island  there  but  in  its  place 
there  was  a  wide  expanse  of  water,  on  whose  bosom  a  ferry  boat 
crossed  and  recrossed,  carrying  wagons,  buggies,  horses,  men, 
and  everything  that  traveled,  for  which  the  traveling  public  were 
compelled  to  pay  exorbitant  ferriage  fees.  Now  a  man  could 
jump  from  one  side  of  the  creek  to  the  other  side  almost,  without 
wetting  his  feet;  and  still  Dr.  Rowland  thinks  the  topography  of 
the  country  is  the  same.  I  can  scarcely  ever  cross  the  bridge 
referred  to  without  casting  a  glance  at  the  lone  tree-sentinel  and 
the  little  miniature  island;  and  mute  witnesses  though  they  be, 
yet  to  me  they  speak  in  trumpet  tones  of  the  mutability  of  all 
wordly  things,  and  of  the  infinite  future  to  which  we  are  fleeing 
with  such  incredible  swiftness  that  even  the  scenes  of  our  child- 
hood days  seem  like  phantoms  of  the  past! 

Some  time  since  application  was  made  to  convert  all  of 
Nonconnah  and  its  bottoms  into  a  drainage  district,  and  some 

69 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

technicality  has  delayed  the  proceeding;  but,  sooner  or  later,  the 
Gordian  knot  will  be  cut,  and  a  dull  ditch  will  be  all  that  is  left 
of  the  majestic  stream  once  known  as  Nonconnah. 

In  the  fall  of  191 7,  and  previous  thereto,  I  rode  in  an  auto 
from  Holly  Springs  in  the  main  southeastward  direction,  to- 
wards Pontotoc,  and  crossed  Chewalla  Creek  (quite  a  stream), 
the  main  branch  of  Tippah  Creek,  sometimes  called  Tippah 
River,  and  crossing  to  the  southwest  of  the  Frisco  road  at  Potts 
Camp,  we  then  crossed  another  affluent  of  Tippah;  these  consid- 
erable creek  bottoms  have  the  main  characteristics  of  the 
country  from  Holly  Springs  to  Memphis,  and  in  addition  the 
country  had  a  more  mountainous  and  picturesque  appearance, 
owing  to  the  many  hills  rising  abruptly  from  the  bottoms. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  viz:  on  December  1,  191 8, 
again  I  went  over  the  same  road,  Honorable  C.  H.  Curd,  long 
time  editor  of  the  Holly  Springs  Reporter,  being  a  member  of 
the  party. 

After  we  had  crossed  the  Kansas  City  or  Frisco  Railroad  at 
Potts  Camp,  going  southwest,  and  then  crossed  quite  considerable 
creek  bottoms,  we  ascended  some  high  hills,  rising  abruptly 
from  the  bottom  land. 

After  going  some  two  to  three  miles  further,  the  ground 
was  still  higher,  and  Mr.  Curd  pointed  out  to  us  the  top  of  a 
distant  ridge,  which  he  said  was  fourteen  miles  from  us,  and 
was  the  site  of  Holly  Springs. 

He  went  with  us  to  a  high  hill  one  mile  west  of  Holly  Springs, 
locally  called  Rocky  Mountain,  because  of  its  height  and  the 
presence  on  its  top  of  large  sand  stones,  some  ten  feet  in  length 
and  nearly  as  wide,  a  very  unusual  geologic  feature  for  that 
section. 

Pigeon  Roost  Creek  and  the  Pigeons — 

The  names,  Pigeon  Roost  Road  and  Pigeon  Roost  Creek, 
carry  with  them  a  meaning  with  respect  to  the  country  which 
furnished  these  names,  if  we  but  consider  attentively  those  words. 

70 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

At  the  risk  of  being  charged  with  a  digression,  I  will  linger  to 
consider  these  names  and  what  they  imply;  especially  as  this 
digression  will  involve  characteristics  of  the  Chickasaw  country, 
now  our  country;  for  it  is  unfortunately  true  that  we  give  more 
attention  to  the  histories,  appearances,  and  stories  of  foreign 
countries  than  to  that  of  our  own,  it  matters  not  how  interesting 
our  own  country,  past  and  present,  may  be. 

The  disappearance  of  the  vast  hosts  of  wild  pigeons,  whose 
flights  in  the  heavens  once  almost  obscured  the  light  of  the  sun 
at  noon,  has  proven  one  of  the  mysteries  of  nature. 

Their  sudden  disappearance  from  the  face  of  the  earth  in 
modern  times  remains  an  unsolved  problem.  I  remember  as  a 
small  boy  to  have  seen  in  1859  innumerable  numbers  of  these 
wild  pigeons  in  flight,  and  they  appeared  to  be  fond  of  lighting 
in  the  large  oak  trees,  especially  white  oaks,  and  I  was  told  that 
they  were  feeding  upon  acorns.  They  chose  the  largest  and 
strongest  trees  for  a  roost,  because  their  great  weight  would  tear 
down  and  strip  the  strongest  monarchs  of  the  forest. 

In  Lincecum's  autobiography  already  referred  to,  he  de- 
scribed the  great  destruction  to  the  timber  in  the  Choctaw 
country,  just  south  of  the  Chickasaw  country,  wherever  the 
pigeons  had  a  roost.  As  like  causes  produce  like  results,  the 
immensity  of  these  pigeon  roosts  and  the  consequent  destruction 
produced  thereby  at  one  place  furnishes  a  description  where  other 
roosts  took  place;  and  I  will  here  insert  excerpts  from  famous 
nature  writers,  the  accuracy  of  whose  observations  cannot  be 
doubted : 

"The  associated  numbers  of  wild  pigeons,  the  numerous 
flocks  which  compose  the  general  swarm,  are  without  any  other 
parallel  in  the  history  of  the  feathered  race;  they  can  indeed 
alone  be  compared  to  the  finny  shoals  of  herrings,  which,  de- 
scending from  the  Arctic  regions,  discolor  and  fill  the  ocean 
to  the  extent  of  mighty  kingdoms.  *  *  *  The  approach  of 
the  mighty  feathered  army  with  a  loud  rushing  roar  and  a  stirring 
breeze,  attended  by  a  sudden  darkness,  might  be  mistaken  for  a 

71 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

fearful  tornado  about  to  overwhelm  the  face  of  Nature.  For 
several  hours  together  the  vast  host,  extending  some  miles  in 
breadth,  still  continues  to  pass  in  flocks,  without  diminution. 
The  whole  air  is  filled  with  birds;  *  *  *  they  shut  out  the 
light  as  if  it  were  an  eclipse.  At  the  approach  of  the  hawk  their 
sublime  and  beautiful  aerial  evolutions  are  disturbed  like  a 
ruffling  squall  extending  over  the  placid  ocean;  as  a  thundering 
torrent  they  rush  together  in  a  concentrating  mass,  and  heaving 
in  undulating  and  glittering  sweeps  towards  the  earth,  at  length 
again  proceed  in  lofty  meanders  like  the  rushing  of  a  mighty 
animated  river.     *     *     * 

"In  the  Atlantic  States,  where  the  flocks  are  less  abundant, 
the  gun,  decoy,  and  net  are  put  in  operation  against  the  devoted 
throng.  Twenty  or  even  thirty  dozen  have  been  caught  at  a 
single  sweep  of  the  net.  Wagonloads  of  them  are  poured  into 
market,  where  they  are  sometimes  sold  for  no  more  than  a 
cent  apiece.  *  *  *  The  Honorable  T.  H.  Perkins  remarks 
that  about  the  year  1798,  while  he  was  passing  through  New 
Jersey,  near  Newark,  the  flocks  continued  to  pass  for  at  least  two 
hours  without  cessation;  and  he  learned  from  the  neighboring 
inhabitants  that,  in  descending  upon  a  large  pond  to  drink,  those 
in  the  rear,  alighting  on  the  backs  of  the  first  that  arrived  (in  the 
usual  order  of  their  movements  on  land  to  feed),  pressed  them 
beneath  the  surface,  so  that  tens  of  thousands  were  thus  drowned. 
They  were  likewise  killed  in  great  numbers  at  the  roosts  with 
clubs."     (Nuttall,  Vol.  II,  pp.  3,  4,  6.) 

Audubon  estimated  the  number  of  birds  in  one  of  these 
flocks  at  eleven  hundred  millions,  and  calculated  that  they  would 
require  more  than  eight  millions  of  bushels  of  seeds  and  grains 
for  feed  each  day.  Another  flock  seen  by  Wilson  was  greater 
still.  He  judged  them  in  flight  to  extend  over  two  hundred  and 
forty  miles.  He  concluded  that  they  must  have  numbered  more 
than  twenty-two  hundreds  of  millions,  and  consumed  above 
seventeen  millions  of  bushels  of  seed  and  grains  daily. 

"As  the  sun  begins  to  decline,  they  depart  in  a  body  for  the 
general  roost,  which  is  often  hundreds  of  miles  distant,  and  is 
generally  chosen  in  the  tallest  and  thickest  forests,  almost 
divested   of   underwood.     Nothing  can   exceed   the  waste   and 

72 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

desolation  of  these  nocturnal  resorts.  *  *  *  The  tall  trees 
for  thousands  of  acres  are  completely  killed,  and  the  ground 
strewed  with  massy  branches  torn  down  by  the  clustering  weight 
of  the  birds  which  have  rested  upon  them.  The  whole  region  for 
several  years  presents  a  continued  scene  of  devastation,  as  if 
swept  by  the  resistless  blast  of  a  whirlwind.     *     *     * 

"The  breeding  places,  as  might  naturally  be  expected,  differ 
from  the  roosts  in  their  greater  extent.  In  1807,  according  to 
Wilson,  one  of  these  immense  nurseries,  near  Shelbyville,  in 
Kentucky,  was  several  miles  in  breadth  and  extended  through 
the  woods  for  upwards  of  forty  miles.  *  *  *  Wilson  often 
counted  upwards  of  ninety  nests  in  a  single  tree,  and  the  whole 
forest  was  filled  with  them.  *  *  *  But  their  most  destructive 
enemy  is  man;  and  as  soon  as  the  young  are  fully  grown,  the 
neighboring  inhabitants  assemble  and  encamp  for  several  days 
around  the  devoted  pigeons  with  wagons,  axes,  and  cooking 
utensils,  like  the  outskirts  of  a  destructive  army.  The  perpetual 
tumult  of  the  birds,  the  crowding  and  fluttering  multitudes,  the 
thundering  roar  of  their  wings,  and  the  crash  of  falling  trees,  from 
which  the  young  are  thus  precipitated  to  the  ground  by  the  axe, 
produces  altogether  a  scene  of  indescribable  and  almost  terrific 
confusion.  It  is  dangerous  to  walk  beneath  these  clustering  crowds 
of  birds,  from  the  frequent  descent  of  large  branches  broken 
down  by  the  congregating  millions;  the  horses  start  at  the  noise, 
and  conversation  can  only  be  heard  in  a  shout." 

To  the  foregoing  extract  from  Nuttall's  book  is  appended 
the  following  note : 

"The  most  important  of  recent  contributions  to  the  bio- 
graphy of  this  species  is  Mr.  William  Brewster's  article  in  The 
Auk  for  October,  1889.  He  tells  there  of  a  'nesting'  in  Michigan 
in  1877  that  covered  an  area  twenty-eight  miles  long  and  three 
to  four  miles  wide,  and  says:  'For  the  entire  distance  of  twenty- 
eight  miles  every  tree  of  any  size  had  more  or  less  nests,  and 
many  trees  were  filled  with  them."  (Nuttall's  Birds  of  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  Vol.  II,  pp.  4,  5,  7.) 


L.  B.  Jones,  an  intelligent  citizen  somewhat  advanced  in 
years,  and  who  lives  near  Holly  Springs,  informed  me  that  his 
grandfather  settled  on  Pigeon  Roost  Creek  at  a  very  early  date; 

73 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

that  he  often  heard  both  his  grandfather  and  father  relate  their 
experiences  with  the  wild  pigeons  which,  in  the  years  long  passed, 
roosted  in  the  forests  of  Pigeon  Roost  Creek,  from  which  circum- 
stance the  creek  derived  its  name.  From  them  he  learned  the 
pigeons  came  in  vast  flocks,  lighting  on  the  limbs  of  the  trees, 
while  belated  ones  perched  on  the  backs  of  those  who  arrived 
first;  and  by  thus  piling  or  perching  on  the  backs  of  each  other, 
the  weight  of  the  pigeons  became  so  great  as  to  strip  and  tear 
down  some  of  the  largest  trees  of  the  forest. 

The  people  of  that  vicinity  would  go  to  the  roost  and  bring 
back  wagon  loads  of  the  pigeons,  whose  numbers  seemed  to  be 
almost  infinite. 

Beaumont  M.  Stratton,  though  a  Confederate  veteran  with 
many  scars  of  that  great  conflict  on  his  body,  is  still  youthful  of 
heart  and  vigorous  of  body,  and,  as  might  be  supposed,  having 
reached  the  reminiscent  age,  is  found  of  recalling  his  early  recol- 
lections. His  father,  Major  Thomas  Stratton,  moved  from 
middle  Tennessee  to  the  southern  part  of  Shelby  County,  in  the 
early  fifties,  and  at  that  time  the  most  of  the  country  was  in 
woods  and  was  a  wilderness. 

Mr.  Stratton  says  that,  when  a  boy,  he  had  often  gone  south 
in  Mississippi  to  the  bottoms  of  Coldwater  River,  and  there  saw 
the  destruction  wrought  by  the  wild  pigeons  to  the  great  forests 
springing  from  the  rich  alluvial  soil.  Many  of  the  smaller  trees  were 
stripped  of  their  limbs  and  broken  down,  while  many  monarchs 
of  the  forest  had  lost  great  limbs  and  were  so  stripped  of  their 
branches  as  to  present  mere  shadows  of  their  former  proportions. 

Mr.  Stratton  further  states  that  in  those  early  years  the 
wild  pigeons  were  still  passing  over  the  country  in  great  flocks  of 
incredible  numbers,  so  that  at  times  their  numbers  were  so  great 
as  to  obstruct  the  rays  of  the  sun,  the  shadow  of  the  birds  falling 
upon  the  earth  so  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  twilight,  or  the 
shades  of  evening. 

From  L.  B.  Jones  and  C.  H.  Curd,  mentioned  above,  I  also 
learned  that  the  north  branch  of  Pigeon  Roost  Creek  had  its 

74 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

head  in  the  once  famous  springs  which,  with  the  adjacent  holly 
trees,  gave  to  Holly  Springs  its  name.  The  main  branch  of  the 
creek,  however,  originates  beyond  or  south  of  Holly  Springs. 

From  these  gentlemen  and  Judge  J.  P.  Young,  of  Memphis, 
I  learned  that  going  south  from  Memphis  on  the  Pigeon  Roost 
Road,  it  deflects  at  Byhalia  from  the  present  Holly  Springs  road, 
trending  in  a  more  southward  direction,  leading  on  to  Chula- 
homa,  where  Judge  Young  was  born,  and  leaving  Holly  Springs 
about  six  miles  to  the  east  of  its  course  opposite  that  city. 

This  is  in  entire  accord  with  Lusher's  map. 

On  Lusher's  map  of  1835  (hereinafter  more  particularly  re- 
ferred to)  the  streams  in  the  Chickasaw  country  are  laid  down 
with  more  detarl  and  accuracy  than  upon  any  other  map  before 
or  since  that  time;  and  while  nearly  all  the  streams  have  Indian 
names  only,  Pigeon  Roost  Creek  forms  an  exception,  and  had  on 
this  map  the  same  name  it  bears  to  this  day. 

The  fact  is  that  the  creek  was  so  named  on  account  of  the 
vast  pigeon  roosts  which  formerly  formed  a  conspicuous  feature 
of  its  heavily  timbered  bottoms ;  and  bear  in  mind  that  this  giant 
timbered  country  was  the  country  to  attract  the  pigeons  for  a 
roosting  place.  This  roosting  place  must  have  been  famous  far 
and  near,  for  it  gave  not  only  its  name  to  the  large  creek  in 
question,  but  to  one  of  the  most  important  thoroughfares  leading 
to  Memphis,  a  distance  of  some  fifty  miles. 

Lusher's  map  also  shows  that  the  short-cut  Indian  trail  or 
trace  crossed  the  headwaters  of  the  Pigeon  Roost  Creek.  This 
roost  was  undoubtedly  known  to  the  Chickasaws,  for  nothing  of 
this  character  escaped  their  notice;  and,  moreover,  it  was  doubt- 
less a  great  asset  to  them,  where,  at  least  in  certain  years,  they 
found  an  unlimited  supply  of  most  palatable  and  wholesome  food. 
Indeed,  the  existence  of  this  roost  may  have  been  one  of  the 
reasons  for  the  trail  passing  through  that  vicinity. 
The  Trail  from  Holly  Springs  to  New  Albany— 

Not  having  personally  traveled  over  the  former  Chickasaw 
trail  from  Holly  Springs  to   New  Albany,   I   wrote  to  Judge 

75 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Charles  Lee  Crum,  of  New  Albany,  for  a  description  of  that  part 
of  the  country  and  received  the  following  answer: 

"Before  describing  the  country  directly  from  New  Albany 
to  Holly  Springs,  I  will  say  that  I  was  born  in  1867  where  the 
village  of  Hickory  Flat  now  is,  which  is  fourteen  miles  northwest 
from  New  Albany,  and  twenty  miles  southeast  from  Holly 
Springs.  My  grandfather,  Eli  Crum,  moved  onto  his  farm  at 
the  very  place  where  Hickory  Flat  now  is,  in  December,  1837,  at 
which  time  my  father,  W.  A.  Crum,  was  an  infant  three  months 
old.  This  was  before  the  Indians  left.  My  father  owned  this 
place  until  his  death  in  A.  D.  1910.  So  you  can  understand  that, 
having  for  years  held  this  as  the  paternal  home,  and  on  account 
of  its  being  nearly  midway  between  New  Albany  and  Holly 
Springs,  and  having  lived  for  twenty-five  years  at  the  former  place, 
I  have  had  opportunity  to  know  this  country.  Besides  being  a 
lawyer  by  profession,  I  have  since  my  boyhood  hunted  wild  game 
considerably  and  traveled  over  all  this  country,  horseback  and 
otherwise. 

"I  have  heard  my  father  say  repeatedly  that  the  public  road 
from  Memphis  to  Pontotoc  was  originally  laid  out  along  what  was 
an  Indian  trail.  This  highway  ran  from  Memphis  via  Holly 
Springs,  Potts  Camp,  and  Winborn,  about  three-fourths  mile  north 
of  where  Hickory  Flat  now  is,  crossed  Tallahatchie  River  about 
three-fourths  miles  southwest  of  the  courthouse  in  New  Albany, 
and  thence  to  the  town  of  Pontotoc  and  covered  high  ground, 
except  in  crossing  the  following  streams:  Chewalla,  Tippah 
River,  headwaters  of  Okalimetah,  Ayers  Creek  (a  very  small 
stream),  Big  Creek  (sometimes  called  Hell  Creek),  and  Talla- 
hatchie. The  crossings  at  the  time  of  the  earliest  recollections 
of  white  settlers  on  Tallahatchie  River,  before  bridges  were  built, 
were  only  two.  One  was  at  Rocky  Ford,  where  Etta  postoffice 
now  is.  The  other  was  three-fourths  mile  southwest  of  New 
Albany  courthouse,  on  what  is  now  my  farm  property  and  im- 
mediately in  the  rear  of  my  present  residence,  which  is  known  as 
'Riverside.' 

"There  is  a  bluff  immediately  west  of  the  ford  at  Rocky  Ford, 
and  there  has  been  to  my  personal  knowledge  for  forty  years  a 
very  large  rock  just  below  this  ford,  which  is  nearly  round  in  top 
appearance  and  which  projected  several  feet  above  the  low 
water  forty  years  ago.     The  rock  appears  to  have  been  a  boulder 

76 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

which  rolled  down  from  off  this  bluff.  The  hill  which  projects 
to  the  river  here  and  makes  this  bluff  has  numerous  such  rocks 
on  it  now.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  on  an  air  line  from  New 
Albany  to  Rocky  Ford.  I  am  not  advised  whether  there  was 
an  Indian  trail  that  crossed  here,  but  it  was  a  ford  where  the  road 
crossed  as  early  as  the  white  settlers  now  living  know.  The 
river  here  runs  on  the  south  side  of  the  low  bottom,  which  low 
land  is  about  one  mile  wide  and  many  years  ago  was  very  slashy 
on  north  half.  It  is  conceded  that  De  Soto  fought  a  battle  with 
the  Indians  who  had  a  village  where  New  Albany  now  is,  after 
leaving  the  Indian  settlement  east  of  Pontotoc.  From  New 
Albany  to  Rocky  Ford,  to  travel  south  of  Tallahatchie,  would,  in 
De  Soto's  time,  have  required  covering  a  distance  of  twenty  or 
thirty-five  miles,  for  down  the  river  in  the  low  lands  it  was  very 
swampy,  even  as  late  as  I  can  remember,  and  covered  with  thick 
canes,  rattan,  and  other  vines  and  much  undergrowth.  Besides, 
there  are  several  large  creeks  that  run  into  Tallahatchie  from  the 
south  that  he  would  have  been  obliged  to  cross. 

'Tallahatchie  bottom  at  New  Albany  is  less  than  400  yards 
wide,  and  the  crossing  was  at  a  swift  place  with  a  solid  rock  bot- 
tom, and  Esq.  Reaves,  who  was  for  many  years  the  mayor  of 
New  Albany,  has  told  me  that  an  Indian  ford  was  there  before 
the  white  man  used  it  in  the  early  settlement  for  a  public  high- 
way. Here  is  where  the  Memphis  and  Pontotoc  road  first 
crossed  Tallahatchie. 

"From  all  I  have  heard  and  read  on  the  course  taken  by  De 
Soto  I  am  convinced  that,  after  fighting  the  Indians  here  at  New 
Albany,  he  crossed  Tallahatchie  at  the  rock  bottom  ford  south 
of  the  town,  traveled  in  a  northwest  direction  along  the  trail  via 
Hickory  Flat  (where  there  was  an  Indian  village  on  my  grand- 
father's place  in  1837),  Potts  Camp,  Holly  Springs,  and  on  to  the 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  at  Memphis.     *     *     * 

"On  each  side  of  the  river  near  this  ford  with  rock  bottom  at 
New  Albany  were  evidently  Indian  camps  of  minor  importance. 
They  were  near  large  lakes  which  then  existed  and  between  them  on 
high  back-bones  or  ridges.  These  ridges  are  now  in  my  farm  and 
hundreds  of  arrow  heads,  tomahawks,  pestle  and  mortar  rocks 
and  other  relics  have  been  found.  My  son,  now  sixteen,  has 
several  hundred  arrow  and  spear  heads  of  all  sizes.  At  these 
minor  camps  the  Indians  evidently  camped,  fished,  and  hunted 
in  good  weather  when  the  river  was  low." 

77 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Attention  is  called  to  the  words  in  italics  stating  that  the 
old  Indian  camps  "were  near  large  lakes  which  then  existed  and 
between  them  on  high  back-bones  or  ridges."  These  lakes,  or 
pondy  places,  were  scattered  over  the  hill  country  of  the  Chicka- 
saws,  as  all  observant  persons  know  to  have  been  the  case,  be- 
fore the  country  was  deforested. 

In  a  subsequent  letter  Judge  Crum  says: 

"The  channel  of  the  old  Tallahatchie  River  adjacent  to  the 
point  in  the  river  where  the  rock-bottom  ford  anciently  existed, 
which  is  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  southwest  from  the  court 
house  at  New  Albany,  was  (until  as  late  as  1898,  at  which  time  I 
purchased  the  land),  very  deep,  with  the  banks  of  the  river  on 
the  east  side  very  high  and  perpendicular.  In  fact  I  live  now  on 
this  high  point  that  projects  into  where  the  old  channel  was  then. 

"The  topography  then  agreed  very  well  with  the  description 
which  the  Spaniard,  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  gave  of  it  in  his  diary, 
considering  the  time  that  has  elapsed. 

"As  attorney  for  the  Tallahatchie  District  I  had  a  canal  dug 
down  the  bottom  for  a  distance  of  thirty  miles.  The  width  of 
the  canal  is  thirty  feet  or  more  at  its  top  end  to  sixty  feet  or 
more  at  its  mouth  at  the  west  line  of  Union  County.  There 
is  no  place  in  the  river  where  there  was  a  solid  rock  bottom, 
except  at  New  Albany,  and  although  the  canal  is  eighteen  feet 
deep  in  places,  we  encountered  no  rock  in  digging  it." 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  main  topographical  features  of 
the  country  from  Pontotoc  on  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  are  quite 
similar ;  and  these  features  should  be  borne  in  mind  when  we  read 
the  various  narratives. 


78 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  FOUR  DE  SOTO  NARRATIVES  QUOTED  AND 
COMPARED 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  four  separate  narratives  of  the 
De  Soto  Expedition.  Dr.  Rowland,  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
Prof.  Lewis,  adopts  the  three  narratives  of  the  Gentleman  of 
Elvas,  Rodrigo  Ranjel  and  Hernandez  de  Biedma,  as  edited  by 
Edward  Gaylord  Bourne  in  the  Trail  Makers.  They  reject 
altogether  the  narrative  of  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega. 

For  the  present  I  will  follow  their  selection,  because  these 
three  narratives  so  selected  by  them,  when  examined,  especially 
in  the  light  of  the  topography  and  geology  of  the  country  and  the 
conditions  surrounding  the  expedition,  demonstrate  that  the 
Mississippi  was  discovered  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 

Later  I  will  show  that  Garcilaso's  is  entirely  worthy  of 
credit,  and  if  this  is  so,  then  they  admit  they  are  out  of  court. 

I  will  now  briefly  refer  to  the  time  each  of  the  four  narratives 
appeared  in  print,  following  exactly  the  order  observed  by 
Bourne  as  set  forth  in  his  preface. 

First:  "The  Gentleman  of  Elvas." 

This  narrative  purports  to  have  been  written  by  a  Portuguese 
gentleman  (not  a  Spaniard),  and  was  first  published  at  Evora, 
Portugal,  in  1557.  The  narrative  also  purports  to  have  been 
written  by  one  who  accompanied  De  Soto,  but  the  writer  did  not 
reveal  his  name,  and  it  is  not  known  to  this  day.  Some  who 
reject  Garcilaso,  also  reject  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas,  but  not  so 
Bourne  and  his  followers,  who  put  great  reliance  thereon. 

Second:  Bourne  admits  that  "next  in  order  of  publication 
and  equal  in  fame  comes"  Garcilaso,  which  was  first  published 
in  Lisbon  in  1605,  or  only  sixty- two  years  after  the  death  of 

79 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

De  Soto,  and  again  re-published  in  Madrid  in  1722.  It  is  ad- 
mitted that  Garcilaso  was  of  noble  birth,  and  that  he  was  a 
historian  of  distinction,  aside  from  his  De  Soto  narrative. 

His  narrative  is  rejected  by  some  after  the  lapse  of  some 
hundreds  of  years,  because  he  states  that  he  was  not  a  member 
of  the  expedition,  but  got  his  information  from  a  nobleman,  who 
did  accompany  the  expedition  and  who,  for  a  lifetime,  had  been 
Garcilaso's  bosom  friend  and  constantly  related  the  incidents  of 
the  expedition,  and  these  were  supplemented  by  notes  taken 
down  by  two  privates  in  the  expedition;  so  that  the  narrative  is 
based  on  the  testimony  of  three  witnesses. 

Third:  The  narrative  of  Hernandez  de  Biedma,  the  king's 
factor,  was  drawn  up  in  1544,  but  not  published  until  1841,  and 
then  in  French,  by  the  French  scholar,  Ternaux-Campons,  the 
first  English  edition  appearing  in  1850.  On  page  XV,  Bourne 
commends  Biedma's  narrative  as  an  official  account,  though 
giving  few  details,  "except  as  to  directions  and  distances";  or  in 
other  words  he  is  said  to  be  accurate  in  giving  details  "as  to  di- 
rections and  distances,"  which  is  an  important  admission,  as 
shown  further  on. 

Fourth:  Rodrigo  Ranjel  was  the  private  secretary  of 
De  Soto,  and  his  narrative  did  not  come  to  light  until  1866,  when, 
according  to  Bourne,  it  was  revealed  in  Oviedo's  Historia  General 
y  Natural  de  las  Indias.  Bourne  says  also  that  he  was  convinced 
that  Oviedo's  account  had  imbedded  in  it  Rodrigo  Ranjel's 
journal  in  the  same  way  as  the  journal  of  Columbus  of  his  second 
voyage  was  preserved  by  Las  Casas  in  his  Historia  de  las  India. 

It  can  readily  be  seen  that  the  Ranjel  account  may  have 
suffered  important  changes  through  the  channels  it  has  reached 
us;  nevertheless,  by  the  authors  mentioned  it  is  given  first  rank 
for  accuracy,  followed  next  by  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas,  then  by 
Biedma,  while  they  reject  altogether  Garcilaso. 

We  now  meet  them  on  their  chosen  ground. 

When  doing  this,  however,  I  will  quote  the  text  of  these 
three  narratives,  word  for  word,  and  I  will  decline  to  accept  the 

80 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

versions  thereof  by  Prof.  Lewis  and  followed  by  Dr.  Rowland, 
for  important  words  are  not  only  left  out,  but  interpolations  are 
made  without  the  least  regard  to  the  originals.  These  quotations 
will  begin  with  the  departure  of  De  Soto  from  near  the  seat  of  the 
Chickasaw  nation,  in  what  is  now  Pontotoc  County,  for  it  seems 
to  be  now  conceded  that  the  expedition  crossed  Tallahatchie 
River  near  New  Albany,  where  there  is  for  that  country  a  very 
unusual  geological  formation,  namely  a  solid  rock  bottom  for  the 
river,  the  meaning  of  the  Indian  word  Tallahatchie  being  rock 
river. 

The  Text  of  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas— 

"From  some  prisoners  taken,  the  governor  informed  himself 
of  the  region  in  advance.  On  the  25th  day  of  April  (1541)  he  left 
Chicaca  and  went  to  sleep  at  a  small  town  called  Alimamu.  Very 
little  maize  was  found;  and  as  it  became  necessary  to  attempt 
thence  to  pass  a  desert,  seven  days'  journey  in  extent,  the  next  day 
the  governor  ordered  that  three  captains,  each  with  cavalry  and 
foot,  should  take  a  different  direction,  to  get  provisions  for  the 
way.  Juan  de  Anasco,  the  comptroller,  went  with  fifteen  horse 
and  forty  foot  on  the  course  the  governor  would  have  to  march, 
and  found  a  staked  fort  where  the  Indians  were  awaiting  them. 
Many  were  armed,  walking  upon  it,  with  their  bodies,  legs,  and 
arms  painted  and  ochred,  red,  black,  white,  yellow,  and  ver- 
milion in  stripes,  so  that  they  appeared  to  have  on  stockings  and 
doublet.  Some  wore  feathers,  and  others  horns  on  the  head,  the 
face  blackened,  and  the  eyes  encircled  with  vermilion,  to  heighten 
their  fierce  aspect.  So  soon  as  they  saw  the  Christians  draw  nigh, 
they  beat  drums,  and,  with  loud  yells,  in  great  fury  came  forth 
to  meet  them.  As  to  Juan  de  Anasco  and  others  it  appeared  well 
to  avoid  them  and  to  inform  the  governor,  they  retired,  over  an 
even  ground  in  sight,  the  distance  of  a  cross-bow  shot  from  the 
enclosure,  the  footmen,  the  cross-bow  men,  and  targeteers  putting 
themselves  before  those  on  horseback,  that  the  beasts  might  not 
be  wounded  by  the  Indians,  who  came  forth  by  sevens  and  eights 
to  discharge  their  bows  at  them  and  retire.  In  sight  of  the 
Christians  they  made  a  fire,  and,  taking  an  Indian  by  the  head 
and  feet,  pretended  to  give  him  many  blows  on  the  head  and  cast 
him  into  the  flames,  signifying  in  this  way  what  they  would  do 
with  the  Christians. 

81 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"A  message  being  sent  with  three  of  the  cavalry  to  the 
governor,  informing  him  of  this,  he  came  directly.  It  was  his 
opinion  that  they  should  be  driven  from  the  place.  He  said  that 
if  this  was  not  done,  they  would  be  emboldened  to  make  an 
attack  at  some  other  time,  when  they  might  do  him  more  harm; 
those  on  horseback  were  commanded  to  dismount,  and,  being 
set  in  four  squadrons,  at  the  signal  charged  the  Indians.  They 
resisted  until  the  Christians  came  up  to  the  stakes;  then,  seeing 
they  could  not  defend  themselves,  they  fled  through  that  part  near 
which  passed  a  stream,  sending  back  some  arrows  from  the  other 
bank;  and  because,  at  the  moment,  no  place  was  found  where  the  horses 
might  ford,  they  had  time  to  make  their  escape.  Three  Indians  were 
killed  and  many  Christians  wounded,  of  whom  after  a  few  days, 
fifteen  died  on  the  march.  Everyone  thought  the  governor  com- 
mitted a  great  fault  in  not  sending  to  examine  the  state  of  the 
ground  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  discover  the  crossing-place 
before  making  the  attack;  because,  with  the  hope  the  Indians 
had  of  escaping  unseen  in  that  direction,  they  fought  until  they 
were  broken ;  and  it  was  the  cause  of  their  holding  out  so  long  to 
assail  the  Christians,  as  they  could,  with  safety  to  themselves. 

How  the  Governor  Went  from  Quizquiz,  and  Thence  to  the 
River  Grande — 

"Three  days  having  gone  by  since  some  maize  had  been  sought 
after,  and  but  little  found  in  comparison  with  the  great  want 
there  was  of  it,  the  governor  became  obliged  to  move  at  once, 
notwithstanding  the  wounded  had  need  of  repose,  to  where 
there  should  be  abundance.  He  accordingly  set  out  for  Quizquiz, 
and  marched  seven  days  through  a  wilderness,  having  many  pondy 
places,  with  thick  forests,  fordable,  however,  on  horseback,  all  to  some 
basins  or  lakes  that  were  swum.  He  arrived  at  a  town  of  Quizquiz 
without  being  descried,  and  seized  all  the  people  before  they 
could  come  out  of  their  homes.  Among  them  was  the  mother  of 
the  cacique;  and  the  governor  sent  word  to  him,  by  one  of  the 
captives,  to  come  and  receive  her,  with  the  rest  he  had  taken. 
The  answer  he  returned  was  that,  if  his  lordship  would  order  them 
to  be  loosed  and  sent,  he  would  come  to  visit  and  do  him  service. 

"The  governor,  since  his  men  arrived  weary,  and  likewise 
weak,  for  want  of  maize,  and  the  horses  were  also  lean,  determined 
to  yield  to  the  requirement  and  try  to  have  peace;  so  the  mother 
and  the  rest  were  ordered  to  be  set  free,  and  with  words  of  kind- 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ness  were  dismissed.  The  next  day,  while  he  was  hoping  to  see 
the  chief,  many  Indians  came,  with  bows  and  arrows,  to  set  upon 
the  Christians,  when  he  commanded  that  all  the  armed  horsemen 
should  be  mounted  and  in  readiness.  Finding  them  prepared,  the 
Indians  stopped  at  the  distance  of  a  crossbow  shot  from  where  the 
governor  was,  near  a  river  bank,  where,  after  remaining  quietly 
half  an  hour,  six  chiefs  arrived  at  the  camp,  stating  that  they 
had  come  to  find  out  what  people  it  might  be;  for  they  had 
knowledge  from  their  ancestors  that  they  were  to  be  subdued  by 
a  white  race;  they  consequently  desired  to  return  to  the  cacique, 
to  tell  him  that  he  should  come  presently  to  obey  and  serve  the 
governor.  After  presenting  six  or  seven  skins  and  shawls  brought 
with  him,  they  took  their  leave,  and  returned  with  the  others  who 
were  waiting  for  them  by  the  shore.  The  cacique  came  not,  nor 
sent  another  message. 

"There  was  little  maize  in  the  place,  and  the  governor  moved  to 
another  town,  half  a  league  from  the  great  river;  here  it  was  found  in 
sufficiency.  He  went  to  look  at  the  river,  and  saw  that  near  it 
there  was  much  timber  of  which  piraguas  might  be  made,  and 
a  good  situation  in  which  the  camp  might  be  placed.  He  directly 
moved,  built  houses,  and  settled  on  a  plain  a  crossbow  shot  from 
the  water,  bringing  together  there  all  the  maize  of  the  towns 
behind,  that  at  once  they  might  go  to  work  and  cut  down  trees 
for  sawing  out  planks  to  build  barges.  The  Indians  soon  came 
from  up  the  stream,  jumped  on  shore,  and  told  the  governor  they 
were  the  vassals  of  a  great  lord,  named  Aquixo,  who  was  the 
suzerain  of  many  towns  and  people  on  the  other  shore;  and  they 
made  known  from  him,  that  he  would  come  the  day  after,  with  all 
his  people,  to  hear  what  his  lordship  would  command  him." 

The  Text  of  Biedma— 

"We  remained  here  perhaps  two  months,  getting  ready  what 
were  necessary  of  saddles,  lances,  and  targets,  and  then  left, 
taking  the  direction  to  the  northwest,  toward  a  province  called 
Alibamo. 

"At  this  time  befell  us  what  is  said  never  to  have  occurred  to 
the  Indians.  In  the  highway  over  which  we  had  to  pass,  without 
there  being  either  women  to  protect  or  provisions  to  secure,  and 
only  to  try  our  valour  with  theirs,  the  Indians  put  up  a  very 
strong  stockade  directly  across  the  road,  about  300  of  them 
standing  behind  it,  resolute  to  die  rather  than  give  back.     So 

83 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

soon  as  they  observed  our  approach,  some  came  out  to  shoot 
their  arrows,  threatening  that  not  one  of  us  should  remain  alive. 
When  we  had  surveyed  their  work,  thus  defended  by  men,  we 
supposed  they  guarded  something — provisions  perhaps — of 
which  we  stood  greatly  in  need,  for  we  had  calculated  to  cross 
a  desert  of  twelve  days'  journey  in  its  extent,  where  we  could 
have  nothing  to  eat  but  what  we  carried.  We  alighted  some 
forty  or  fifty  men,  and  put  ourselves  on  two  sides,  arranging  that 
at  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  we  should  all  enter  the  barricade  at 
one  time.  We  did  accordingly,  carrying  it,  although  at  some 
cost,  losing  on  our  side  seven  or  eight  men,  and  having 
twenty-five  or  twenty-six  more  wounded.  We  killed  some 
Indians,  and  took  others  from  whom  we  learned  that  they 
had  done  this  to  measure  themselves  with  us,  and 
nothing  else.  We  looked  about  for  food,  although  at  great 
hazard,  that  we  might  begin  our  journey  into  the 
wilderness. 

"We  traveled  eight  days  with  great  care,  in  tenderness  of  the 
wounded  and  the  sick  we  carried.  One  mid-day  we  came  upon  a 
town  called  Quizquiz,  and  so  suddenly  to  the  inhabitants,  that 
they  were  without  any  notice  of  us,  the  men  being  away  at  work 
in  the  maize  fields.  We  took  more  than  300  women,  and  the  few 
skins  and  shawls  they  had  in  their  houses.  There  we  first  found 
a  little  walnut  of  the  country,  which  is  much  better  than  that 
here  in  Spain.  The  town  was  near  the  banks  of  the  River  Espiritu 
Santo.  They  had  told  us  that  it  was,  with  many  towns  about 
there,  tributary  to  a  lord  of  Pacaha,  famed  throughout  the  land. 
When  the  men  heard  that  we  had  taken  their  women,  they  came 
to  us  peacefully,  requesting  the  governor  to  restore  them.  He 
did  so,  and  asked  them  for  canoes  in  which  to  pass  that  great 
river.  These  they  promised,  but  never  gave;  on  the  contrary, 
they  collected  to  give  us  battle,  coming  in  sight  of  the  town  where 
we  were;  but  in  the  end,  not  venturing  to  make  an  attack,  they 
turned  and  retired. 

"We  left  that  place  and  went  to  encamp  by  the  riverside,  to  put 
ourselves  in  order  for  crossing.  On  the  other  shore  we  saw  num- 
bers of  people  collected  to  oppose  our  landing,  who  had  many 
canoes.  We  set  about  building  four  large  piriguas,  each  capable 
of  taking  sixty  or  seventy  men  and  five  or  six  horses. 
We  were  engaged  in  the  work  twenty-seven  or  twenty-eight 
days." 

84 


The  Chickasaw    Nation 

The  Text  of  Ranjel— 

"Tuesday,  April  26,  in  the  year  aforesaid,  1541,  the  governor, 
Hernando  de  Soto,  set  out  from  the  plain  of  Chicaca,  and  arrived 
at  Limamufor  the  night;  and  there  they  searched  for  corn,  because 
the  Indians  had  hidden  it,  and  they  had  to  pass  over  a  desert. 
And  Thursday  they  came  to  another  plain  where  the  Indians  had 
taken  the  position,  having  made  a  very  strong  barricade,  and 
within  it  there  were  many  Indian  braves,  painted  red  and  deco- 
rated with  other  colors  which  appeared  very  fine  (or  rather,  very 
bad,  at  least  it  meant  harm  to  the  Christians).  And  they  entered 
the  barricade  by  force,  and  with  some  loss  by  death  and  wounds 
on  the  part  of  the  commander  and  his  army,  and  with  a  loss 
greater  beyond  comparison  on  the  part  of  the  conquered;  and 
it  would  have  been  still  more  if  the  Indians  had  not  taken 
flight. 

"Saturday,  the  last  day  of  April,  the  army  set  out  from  the  place 
of  the  barricade  and  marched  nine  days  through  a  deserted  country 
and  by  a  rough  way,  mountainous  and  swampy,  until  May  8th, 
when  they  came  to  the  first  village  of  Quizquiz,  which  they  took  by 
assault  and  captured  much  people  and  clothes;  but  the  governor 
promptly  restored  them  liberty  and  had  everything  restored  to 
them  for  fear  of  war,  although  that  was  not  enough  to  make 
friends  of  these  Indians.  A  league  beyond  this  village  they  came 
upon  another  with  abundance  of  corn,  and  soon  again  after 
another  league,  upon  another  likewise  amply  provisioned.  There 
they  saw  the  great  river.  Saturday,  May  21,  the  force  went  along 
to  a  plain  between  the  river  and  a  small  village,  and  set  up 
quarters  and  began  to  build  four  barges  to  cross  over  to  the  other 
side.  Many  of  these  conquerors  said  this  river  was  larger  than 
the  Danube." 

It  may  be  thought  that  my  quotations  are  entirely  too 
lengthy  for  the  few  sentences  of  pertinent  matter,  as  compared 
to  that  which  is  not  pertinent.  My  excuse  is,  first,  I  wish  the 
reader  to  see  the  entire  context,  and  thus  at  the  same  time  do 
entire  justice,  and  so  that  no  one  may  say  anything  was  omitted. 
It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  add  that  all  the  italics  in  this  article 
are  my  own,  which  I  use  in  order  to  direct  the  attention  of  the 
reader  to  such  parts  as  I  deem  pertinent  to  the  points  at  issue. 

85 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Opinion  of  Professor  Lewis  Criticized— 

Dr.  Rowland  states  that  Theodore  Hayes  Lewis  is  a  learned 
antiquarian,  archeologist  and  historian,  and  that  no  historian 
has  thought  it  wise  to  question  his  conclusions;  but  we  have  seen 
that  Judge  Young,  a  real  historian,  has  sharply  questioned  the 
conclusions  of  Prof.  Lewis.  Moreover,  though  I  am  not  an 
historian,  or  antiquarian  or  archeologist,  still  I  am  here  and  now 
to  pointedly  question  the  conclusions  of  Prof.  Lewis,  believing 
that  no  one,  whatever  may  be  his  acquirements,  has  a  right  to 
preempt  the  discussion  or  an  exclusive  right  to  express  an  opinion 
on  a  matter  so  plain  that  any  man  of  ordinary  understanding 
can  easily  form  an  intelligent  opinion.  In  point  of  fact,  I  believe 
that  the  phrase,  "much  learning  doth  make  thee  mad,"  which 
was  so  misapplied  near  two  thousand  years  ago,  to  one  of  the 
greatest  men  the  world  ever  heard,  in  the  High  Court  of  Appeals 
in  a  kingly  palace,  can  be  well  applied  to  the  two  learned  authors, 
in  relation  to  this  discussion. 

Let  us  see — 

On  page  146,  Centenary  Series,  No.  II,  Dr.  Rowland  quotes 
Prof.  Lewis  as  stating  the  route  of  De  Soto,  after  crossing  the 
Tallahatchie,  in  these  words: 

"On  Saturday,  April  30,  the  army  left  this  enclosed  place, 
turning  to  the  westward." 

The  three  narratives  will  be  searched  in  vain  for  any  state- 
ment that  the  expedition  turned  at  all,  and  least  of  all,  westward. 
The  statement  is  a  complete  interpolation. 

This  is  not  by  any  means  all,  for  it  will  be  recalled  that  their 
favorite  author,  Bourne,  commends  Biedma's  short  narrative 
for  accuracy  "as  to  directions  and  distances."  Now  Biedma's 
narrative  is  the  only  one  which  undertakes  to  give  the  direction 
that  De  Soto  took  after  leaving  the  Chickasaw  nation;  and  as 
the  two  other  narratives  are  silent  on  this  point,  certainly  when 
the  third  one,  commended  for  accuracy  in  this  particular,  gives 

86 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  direction,  it  must  be  accepted  as  true.     What  does  Biedma 
say? 

"We  remained  here  two  months,  getting  ready  what  was 
necessary  of  saddles,  lances  and  targets,  and  then  left,  taking  the 
direction  to  the  northwest,  towards  a  province  called  Alibamo." 

Why  was  this  direction,  which  so  plainly  and  unmistakably 
pointed  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  omitted;  and  why  were  the 
words  "turning  to  the  westward"  interpolated,  which  so  plainly 
pointed  to  Tunica  County? 

Having  thus  airily  and  neatly  constructed  a  paper-turning 
for  the  expedition  in  a  paper  direction  westward,  so  as  to  reach 
"somewhere"  in  dear  old  Tunica,  the  next  thought  of  the  guide, 
philosopher,  and  friend  of  Dr.  Rowland  seems  to  have  been  to 
neatly  construct  a  companion  paper-route  for  the  De  Soto  ex- 
pedition, especially  adapted  to  the  canebrakes,  lakes,  and  fast- 
nesses of  the  Mississippi  delta. 

However,  acquitting  the  learned  author  of  any  intentional 
purposes  to  warp  the  plain  story  of  the  narratives,  still,  when 
examined,  his  account  exhibits  an  almost  perfect  adaptation  of  a 
means  to  an  end. 

Immediately  following  the  sentence  above  quoted  and 
criticized,  Prof.  Lewis  says: 

"  'According  to  Elvas,  the  country  they  were  now  passing 
through  was  a  wilderness  of  thick  forests,  having  many  marshy 
places  that  were  ford  able,  and  some  basins  and  lakes  (sluggish 
streams)  that  were  not.'  In  another  place  he  says:  'The  land 
is  low,  abounding  in  lakes.'  Ranjel  says  they  passed  over  bad 
roads  leading  through  woods  and  swamps." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  more  incorrectly  misstate  what  was 
really  said  by  the  two  narrators  than  is  found  in  the  above 
quotation  from  Prof.  Lewis.  Elvas  will  be  searched  in  vain  for 
the  sentence  ascribed  to  him  in  quotation  marks,  "the  land  was  low, 
abounding  in  lakes."    Where,  then,  did  this  sentence  come  from? 

87 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Here  is  what  Elvas  said: 

"He  accordingly  set  out  for  Quizquiz,  and  marched  seven 
days  through  a  wilderness,  having  many  pondy  places,  with  thick 
forests,  fordable  however,  on  horseback,  all  to  some  basins  or 
lakes  that  were  swum." 

The  sentence  is  involved  and  not  well  worded,  although 
Elvas  is  especially  claimed  to  be  the  best  scholar  among  the 
narrators;  still  just  how  the  Professor  is  able  to  interpret  the 
above  language  to  mean  that  there  were  some  basins  and  lakes 
that  were  not  fordable,  when  the  narrator  expressly  states  the 
reverse,  I  am  unable  to  see. 

Moreover,  it  will  be  noted  that  the  Professor  uses  the  con- 
junctive "and"  between  basins  and  lakes;  whereas  Elvas  uses 
the  disjunctive  "or"  between  them.  As  explained  hereinbefore, 
in  treating  of  the  topographical  feature  of  the  small  plateaus  in 
the  country  southeast  of  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  they 
abounded  with  marshy  places,  basins,  or  lakes.  Elvas  wrote 
basins  or  lakes;  or  as  he  had  just  said,  "pondy  places,"  evidently 
meaning  that  these  places  scarcely  arose  to  the  proportions  of 
what  we  understand  to  be  a  lake.  The  Professor  not  only 
eliminates  the  qualified  language  of  Elvas,  but  makes  him  convey 
the  idea  that  the  lakes  were  so  large  that  they  were  not  fordable, 
thus  evidently  pointing  to  the  Mississippi  swamps. 

But  if  the  Professor  erroneously  and  improperly  stated  what 
Elvas  said,  then  he  is  worse  than  erroneous  in  quoting  from 
Ranjel  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  declared  to  be  the  most 
accurate  of  all  the  narrators. 

The  Professor  quotes  Ranjel  thus: 

"Ranjel  says  they  passed  over  bad  roads  leading  through 
woods  and  swamps." 

Ranjel  said  no  such  thing.  What  he  recorded  is  in  these 
words : 

88 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Saturday,  the  last  of  April,  the  army  set  out  from  the  place 
of  barricade  and  marched  nine  days  through  a  deserted  country 
and  by  a  rough  way,  mountainous  and  swampy,"  etc. 

I  ask  by  what  principle  of  interpretation  or  fairness  did  the 
Professor  omit  the  word  mountainous,  which  Ranjel  used  and 
which  with  marked  precision  described  the  Tippah  Highlands, 
which  reached  down  into  Marshall  County  and  over  which  the 
Chickasaw  trail  passed?  He  knew  there  was  no  mountainous 
country  leading  from  where  New  Albany  now  is  to  the  imaginary 
point  in  Tunica  County  where  he  was  laboring  to  land  De 
Soto. 

Indeed,  after  eliminating  the  word  mountainous  from  Ranjel's 
account,  he  used  the  garbled  statement  to  point  his  argument 
that  the  discovery  was  made  in  the  Mississippi  swamps;  for  he 
immediately  adds : 

"This  part  of  the  route  lay  wholly  within  the  State  of  Missis- 
sippi for,  had  it  been  toward  Memphis,  they  would  have  passed 
through  a  hilly  region  instead  of  one  of  swamps." 

Yes,  indeed,  the  country  through  which  De  Soto  really  did 
pass  was  in  point  of  fact  not  only  hilly  but,  to  use  the  exact  word  of 
Ranjel,  "mountainous,"  at  least  in  appearance;  and  to  use  his 
other  word  there  were  parts  of  it  "swampy."  Paradoxical  as  it 
may  seem  at  first  blush,  nevertheless,  Ranjel  perfectly  described 
the  two  main  features  of  the  country  traversed  by  the  Chickasaw 
trail,  when  he  used  the  words  "swampy  and  mountainous." 
That  is  to  say,  the  bottoms  of  Nonconnah,  Coldwater,  Tippah, 
and  numerous  other  smaller  streams  which  were  crossed  were 
filled  with  swamps,  cypress  brakes,  pondy  places,  lagoons, 
morasses,  and  almost  impenetrable  thickets  and  forests,  so  as  to 
make  them  veritable  wildernesses;  while  the  abrupt  high  hills 
of  the  Tippah  Highlands,  reaching  down  into  Marshall  County, 
gave  that  part  of  the  country  a  mountainous  aspect,  and  this  top- 
ographical feature  of  the  country  remains  to  this  day.    And  still 

89 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Dr.  Rowland  is  surprised  that  any  one  should  have  the  temerity 
to  question  the  conclusions  of  Prof.  Lewis! 


It  is  amusing  to  read  the  sentence  of  the  Professor  locating 
the  point  where  the  great  river  was  discovered,  the  ipse  dixit 
characteristic  being  its  main  feature.     He  says: 

"The  crossing  was  made  either  at  Council  Bend  or  Walnut 
Bend,  in  Tunica  County,  in  a  straight  line  some  twenty-five  to 
thirty-eight  miles  below  Memphis." 

That  thi ;  is  a  guess  pure  and  simple,  without  one  line  of  sup- 
port in  any  narrative,  is  perfectly  apparent.  There  are  dozens  of 
bends  on  the  river  similar  to  these,  and  there  is  no  pretense  of  a 
physical  feature  at  either  point  to  identify  it  as  the  landing  place. 

There  is  likewise  a  significant  silence  on  the  part  of  Prof. 
Lewis  with  respect  to  the  several  Indian  villages  and  the  fields 
of  growing  maize,  not  to  mention  the  hundreds  and  even  thou- 
sands of  Indians  who  had  a  permanent  home  at  the  place  where 
the  great  river  was  discovered. 

The  one  thing  that  appears  to  have  burdened  the  Professor's 
thoughts  was  to  drive  De  Soto  and  his  small  army  through  the 
well  nigh  impenetrable  swamps,  morasses,  cane  brakes,  sloughs, 
and  lagoons  of  Tallahatchie  and  Coldwater  River  bottoms,  not 
to  mention  that  of  the  Mississippi,  which  are  worse  than  those  of 
the  Yalobusha,  the  word  "Yalobusha"  in  the  Indian  language 
meaning  tadpole  place.  Apparently,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Pro- 
fessor, any  old  place  in  the  Mississippi  swamps,  even  a  tadpole 
place,  was  quite  eligible  for  a  permanent  home  for  the  Indians. 
And  again  the  Professor  and  his  friend,  Dr.  Rowland,  seem 
oblivious  to  the  fact  that  it  is  actually  a  little  farther,  on  an  air 
line,  from  Pontotoc  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  state  to  the 
ubiquitous  place  in  Tunica  County  where  they  claim  the  river  was 
discovered  than  it  is  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  leading  to  which 
were  well  known  and  well  traveled  Chickasaw  trails,  affording  a 

90 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

far  better  road  to  the  river;  whereas  no  one  pretends  that  there 
was  any  trail  of  the  Chickasaws,  or  of  any  one  else,  leading  to 
Tunica  County. 

And  finally,  on  this  feature  of  the  discussion,  can  the  Professor 
and  Dr.  Rowland  name  any  river  that  flows  into  the  Mississippi 
in  Tunica  County?  It  is  certain  no  mention  is  made  of  such  a 
river  by  them,  and  it  is  an  undeniable  fact,  resulting  from  purely 
natural  causes,  that  no  river  flows  into  the  Mississippi  River  on 
the  east  side,  after  Nonconnah,  at  the  south  end  of  the  Chicka- 
saw Bluffs,  until  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo  is  reached,  300  miles 
to  the  south.  In  fact  the  surface  waters  of  Tunica  and  even  those 
of  De  Soto,  Marshall,  and  Benton  Counties,  bordering  on  Tennes- 
see, flow  into  Coldwater  River,  which  deflects  southward,  and 
joins  the  Tallahatchie,  after  which  their  combined  waters,  with 
those  of  the  Yalobusha  further  south,  are  known  as  the  Yazoo 
River,  entering  the  Mississippi  near  Vicksburg. 

Another  thing  is  equally  undeniable,  and  that  is  their 
favorite  author,  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas,  plainly  states  that 
while  the  Indians  were  menacing  the  expedition  at  the  villages 
of  Quizquiz,  and  before  the  expedition  pitched  camp  by  the 
great  river,  De  Soto  drew  up  his  horsemen  near  a  river-bluff  to 
confront  the  Indians.  This  river  formed  then  and  forms  now  an 
unmistakable,  and  may  I  not  add  a  controlling,  feature  of  the 
country,  forever  destroying  the  Tunica  County  theory,  and 
stamping  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  with  Wolf  River  flowing 
into  the  Mississippi  at  its  north  terminus,  and  Nonconnah 
(almost  a  little  river)  flowing  into  the  great  river  at  its  south 
terminus,  as  the  place  where  white  men  first  gazed  upon  the 
Father  of  Waters? 

Did  the  learned  historians  pass  over  this  unmistakable 
feature  of  the  country  where  the  discovery  was  made  sub  silentio, 
because  they  were  not  conversant  with  the  topography  of  the 
country;  or  because  they  read  Elvas  so  inattentively  as  to  over- 
look this  important  matter?   I  know  not.   Certain  it  is  that  when 

91 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

further  on  Prof.  Lewis  undertook  to  disparage  the  claims  of  Mem- 
phis, he  was  alive  to  physical  features,  for  he  commented  on  the 
conformation  of  the  plateau  at  the  bluffs,  in  order  to  make  a  point 
for  his  argument,  and  in  this  I  shall  show  that  he  was  mistaken. 

It  is  also  a  little  amusing  that,  after  the  learned  historian 
lands  De  Soto  over  in  the  Arkansas  swamps  opposite  Tunica 
County,  and  started  him  in  a  course  northward  and  practically 
parallel  with  the  great  river,  the  suggestion  is  made  that  possibly 
some  earthquake  may  have  changed  the  topography  of  the 
country;  and  still  Dr.  Rowland,  in  his  last  paper,  appeals  to  the 
topography  of  the  country  as  unchangeable ! 

From  this  short  review  I  believe  the  impartial  reader  will 
.  conclude  that  eltrich  and  eerie  and  strange  must  be  the  mythical 
place  in  Tunica  where,  in  the  imaginations  of  the  learned  histo- 
rians, De  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi;  and,  moreover,  that 
they  must  appeal  to  the  miraculous  in  order  to  conjure  up  even 
a  shadow  of  support  for  their  favorite  theory.  Indeed,  the  supposed 
place  where  the  discovery  was  made  is  an  arbitrary  conception, 
as  destitute  of  objective  characteristics  as  the  tropic  of  Capricorn. 

De  Soto's  Route  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs- 
Irrespective  of  any  criticism  of  the  theory  of  Prof.  Lewis 
and  Dr.  Rowland,  let  us  endeavor  now  to  place  ourselves  near 
the  home  of  the  Chickasaw  nation  in  April,  1541,  and  with  the 
De  Soto  expedition  when  it  was  about  to  move  forward  in  search 
of  the  new  El  Dorado,  reminding  us  of  the  quest  for  the  fabled 
golden  fleece.  Where  were  they  and  what  roads  lay  before  them? 
The  Chickasaws  had  chosen  as  their  home  and  the  seat  of 
their  government  the  country  lying  now  in  and  adjacent  to 
Pontotoc  County,  Mississippi,  as  the  very  best  for  health,  for 
abundance  of  everything  necessary  to  their  sustenance,  as  well  as 
for  beauty,  and  as  being  without  a  rival  in  the  vast  territory 
of  which  they  were  the  acknowledged  overlords. 

Their  home  was  on  the  well  known  Pontotoc  ridge,  which 
runs  north  and  south,  the  waters  to  the  east  running  into  the 

92 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Tombigbee,  and  those  on  the  west  of  the  ridge  running  into  the 
Tallahatchie  and  Coldwater  Rivers  and  thence  into  the  Yazoo 
and  on  into  the  Mississippi.  Of  the  home  of  the  Chickasaws 
Bancroft  speaks  of  it  as  a  land 

"where  the  grass  is  verdant  in  midwinter;  the  blue-bird 
and  the  robin  are  heard  in  February;  the  springs  of  pure  water 
gurgle  up  through  the  white  sands  to  flow  through  natural 
bowers  of  evergreen  holly;  and  if  the  earth  be  but  carelessly 
gashed  to  receive  the  kernel  of  maize,  the  thick  corn  springs 
abundantly  from  the  fertile  soil.  The  region  is  as  happy  as 
any  beneath  the  sun;  and  the  love  it  inspired  made  its  occu- 
pants, though  not  numerous,  yet  the  most  intrepid  warriors  of 
the  South." 

Evidently  the  Chickasaws  exercised  that  sagacity  for  which 
they  were  noted,  in  the  selection  of  their  home;  and  being  great 
travelers  with  a  large  territory  to  guard  and  defend  against  all 
intruders,  they  had  well  defined  trails  leading  to  all  important 
points,  and  especially  to  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff,  which  was 
their  entrepot  on  the  great  river,  for  they  were  at  home  upon  its 
bosom,   Adair  saying  that   they  appeared   almost  amphibious. 

The  trails  of  the  Chickasaws  leading  in  various  directions 
were  perfectly  well  known.  De  Soto  had  been  wandering  amid  the 
wilds  of  the  southern  wilderness  since  July  15,  1539;  besides,  he 
had  wandered  in  the  tropical  forests  of  South  and  Central  America, 
and  probably  no  man  then  living  knew  as  much  as  he  did  about 
the  difficulties  of  such  traveling,  or  better  how  to  choose  the  best 
way.  It  was  scarcely  necessary  for  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas  to 
inform  us  that  "From  some  prisoners  taken,  the  governor  in- 
formed himself  of  the  region  in  advance."  We  know  he  diligently 
sought  information  from  every  source,  for  this  was  necessary  for 
self-preservation,  the  first  law  of  nature. 

That,  while  he  was  for  months  living  with  the  Chickasaws 
on  the  most  friendly  terms,  he  learned  from  them  of  the  great 
river  which,  with  its  tributary,  the  Ohio,  formed  their  western 
boundary  and  their  highway  for  a  thousand  miles,  no  one  can 

93 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

doubt.  For  seventy-five  years  Cushman  lived  among  the  Choc- 
taws  and  Chickasaws,  having  been  raised  in  their  nations,  their 
language  being  his  language,  and  he  says  they  "named  it  (the 
Mississippi)  'Misha  Sipokni'  (beyond  age,  whose  source  and 
terminus  are  unknown)."  They  knew  all  about  the  situation 
of  this  great  river  with  respect  to  their  country  and  every  foot 
of  their  vast  domains,  and  had  highways  suitable  to  their  wants 
to  all  parts  of  it.  De  Soto  necessarily  learned  the  lay  of  the 
country  before  him  and  of  the  Indian  trails  which  were  unmis- 
takably marked  out  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  Chickasaw  long 
trail  for  winter  as  well  as  for  summer,  on  top  of  ridges  going 
almost  directly  north  as  far  as  where  Bolivar,  Tennessee,  now  is, 
then  turning  west  and  on  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  was  much  out 
of  the  way;  and  moreover  De  Soto  was  moving  the  last  of  April, 
when  presumably  the  short-cut  route,  approximately  by  way  of 
where  Holly  Springs  now  is  and  onward  northwestwardly  along 
where  the  Pigeon  Roost  road  now  runs,  was  comparatively  dry, 
and  he  had  this  road,  or  rather  Indian  trail,  over  which  to  travel. 

The  long  trail  appears  on  Lusher 's  map  of  1835,  as  well  as 
the  short-cut  trail.  This  article  was  mostly  written  before  I 
knew  there  was  such  a  map,  which  I  will  explain  further  on. 

There  is  also  marked  on  Lusher's  map  of  1835  an  inter- 
mediate trail,  running  with  the  long  trail  a  short  distance  north 
from  where  New  Albany  now  is;  thence  diverging  westward 
where  it  crosses  the  headwaters  of  the  Tallahatchie  and  Cold- 
water  Rivers  higher  up  than  the  short-cut  trail,  and  still  bearing 
northwestward  follows  the  top  of  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters 
of  Wolf  River  from  those  of  Nonconnah  Creek,  the  result  being 
that  it  crosses  neither  Wolf  nor  Nonconnah,  and  does  not  pass 
over  as  large  streams  as  the  short  cut.  The  disadvantages  of  this 
route  consist  in  the  fact  that  it  is  longer  than  the  short  cut,  and 
being  higher  up  towards  the  Tippah  Highlands,  it  is  more 
"mountainous."  I  went  over  this  route  some  years  ago  and  again 
in  October,  191 7,  going  from  Memphis  out  Poplar  Street  Boule- 
vard, by  Collierville,  there  turning  southward  into  Mississippi, 

94 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  some  eight  to  ten  miles  from  Collierville  we  crossed  a  very- 
low,  flat  expanse,  the  soil  being  evidently  retentive  of  water  and 
while  in  timber  wet  and  swampy,  and  partly  so  even  to  this  day, 
and  of  a  pondy  character.  While  for  the  most  part  the  road  is 
on  high  ground,  still  we  passed  over  several  streams,  including 
Chewalla  and  Tippah,  before  reaching  Potts  Camp,  beyond  Holly 
Springs.  The  windings  of  the  road  and  its  characteristics  un- 
mistakably stamp  it  as  of  Indian  origin. 

There  is  a  bare  possibility  that  De  Soto  traveled  this  trail 
rather  than  the  short  cut,  but  I  do  not  think  that  probable. 

Lusher'smap  also  shows  what  I  have  denominated  the  short- 
cut route  or  trail,  leading  from  Memphis  along  approximately 
what  is  now  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road,  over  which,  in  my  opinion, 
De  Soto  passed ;  but  it  is  due  to  say  that  this  trail  does  not  appear 
to  cross  Tallahatchie  at  New  Albany,  but  further  down  and  quite 
near  where  the  Tippah  flows  into  the  Tallahatchie,  running  thence 
southwardly  to  one  of  the  very  few  places  marked  on  the  map, 
Olacopotoo,  which  appears  to  be  the  modern  Toccopola,  a  village 
of  some  233  inhabitants  in  Pontotoc  County. 

Here  the  trail  forks;  one  fork  runs  almost  due  east,  only 
twelve  miles  on  section  lines,  to  Pontotoc,  which,  of  course,  is 
marked  on  the  map;  while  the  other  fork  runs  much  further 
southward.  I  am  frank  to  say  that  I  do  not  believe  that  De  Soto 
passed  over  this  southern  part  of  the  short-cut  trail,  and  my 
opinion  is  that  he  followed  the  main  trail  northwestward,  crossing 
Tallahatchie  where  New  Albany  now  is,  on  the  rock  bottom  of 
the  river.     This  is  the  conclusion  also  of  Prof.  Lewis. 

My  opinion  is  that  not  far  northward  of  New  Albany,  there 
was  a  trail  connecting  the  main  trail  with  the  short-cut  trail, 
precisely  as  the  intermediate  trail  is  shown  on  the  map  to  diverge 
westward  from  the  main  trail,  only  about  one  mile  northward 
from  New  Albany;  or  it  may  be  that  the  divergence  was  from  the 
intermediate  trail  to  the  short  cut,  thus  making  a  saving  of  dis- 
tance of  some  twenty  to  thirty  computed  miles  and  crossing 
many  less  high  hills.     This  view  is  precisely  in  accord  with  the 

95 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

statement  of  Judge  Crum,  as  to  the  route  the  short  cut  took  from 
New  Albany  on  to  Holly  Springs,  and  thence  on  to  where  Mem- 
phis now  is,  as  quoted  hereinbefore. 

While  Holly  Springs  is  not  on  Lusher's  map,  still  it  does 
show  the  short-cut  trail  as  crossing  the  headwaters  of  Coldwater 
River,  Byhalia,  Red  Banks  and  Pigeon  Roost  Creeks,  and  these 
streams  are  crossed  today  by  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road. 

It  is  due  to  say,  however,  that  according  to  my  reckoning 
the  trail  did  not  pass  the  spot  where  Holly  Springs  is  now  located, 
but  passed  some  six  miles  westward.  I  feel  quite  sure  that  Dr. 
Lowe  is  entirely  correct  in  saying  that  the  high  land  whereon 
Holly  Springs  is  located  stands  off  to  itself,  and  is  entirely  dis- 
connected with  the  Tippah  Highlands,  though  some  modern  maps 
show  otherwise.  Lusher's  map  corroborates  this  statement  of 
Dr.  Lowe,  in  that  it  shows  no  streams  passing  over  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Holly  Springs,  but  does  show  streams  radiating  in 
various  directions  from  that  vicinity;  from  which  I  infer  that  the 
uplift  or  spur  whereon  the  little  city  is  located  furnishes,  at  least 
in  part,  the  origin  of  adjacent  creeks. 

It  is  well  here  to  note  that  the  Indian  trails  or  traces  on 
Lusher's  map  are  uniformly  represented  by  continuous  faint  lines, 
and  that  none  of  the  many  Indian  trails  or  traces  are  designated 
by  a  name. 

There  is  one  trail,  and  one  only,  that  forms  a  marked  ex- 
ception to  all  other  trails;  and  it  consists  of  a  dotted  line,  commenc- 
ing on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  River  (with  two  dots  on 
the  west  side  thereof),  the  commencing  point  being  opposite  the 
name  "Helena,"  evidently  the  present  Helena,  Arkansas,  this 
being  one  of  the  few  places  on  the  map  with  an  English  name. 

This  dotted  line  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  trends  east  by 
north,  passing  near  the  southern  end  of  Beaver  Dam  Lake,  until 
it  nearly  reaches  Coldwater  River,  where  it  is  joined  by  another 
dotted  line,  commencing  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
about  opposite  the  north  end  of  Beaver  Dam  Lake,  running 
thence  eastward  to  where  the  two  dotted  lines  meet;  and  thence 

96 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  dotted  line  crosses  Coldwater  and  runs  northeastward  until 
it  ends  with  joining  a  regular  Indian  trail  about  six  computed 
miles  from  the  point  where  the  short-cut  Indian  trail  crosses 
Pigeon  Roost  Creek,  and  about  twelve  computed  miles  southwest 
of  where  Holly  Springs  now  is.  This  dotted  line  is  plainly  marked 
"Helena  Trace;"  whereas  none  of  the  many  Indian  traces  or 
continuous  lines  have  any  names  marked  on  them. 

It  is  evident  that  this  "Helena  trace"  was  of  recent  origin, 
and  a  pathway  made  by  the  white  man ;  and  being  the  only  trace 
trending  east  and  west  through  the  Mississippi  swamps,  it  gives 
emphasis  to  the  fact  that  there  was  no  Indian  trace  or  trail  that 
led  to  the  Mississippi  River  at  any  point,  except  to  the  Fourth 
Chickasaw  Bluff,  to  which  three  Indian  trails  led  from  the  Chicka- 
saw home,  where  Pontotoc  now  is. 


And  now  as  to  maps  in  general  and  Lusher's  map  in  particu- 
lar, I  will  say  that  I  give  scant  credit  thereto  unless  the  maps 
were  made  upon  actual  survey.  Thus,  why  should  anyone  put 
any  great  confidence  in  the  favorite  map  of  Prof.  Lewis,  viz :  that 
of  De  L'Isle,  published  in  171 8,  or  177  years  after  De  Soto  discov- 
ered the  Mississippi;  and  this  map,  according  to  the  Professor, 
was  the  first  that  undertook  to  locate  the  place  where  the  river 
was  discovered? 

Simply  because  a  man  is  a  cartographer,  he  is  not  inspired 
with  the  gift  of  location ;  for  at  last  the  accuracy  of  the  map  must 
depend  on  the  knowledge  of  the  cartographer  as  to  the  real 
location  of  any  place  which  he  undertakes  to  place  on  a  piece  of 
paper.  What  source  of  knowledge  did  De  L'Isle  possess  as  to 
where  the  river  was  discovered  that  we  have  not?  Probably  he 
had  not  so  much  information  as  we,  for  the  Biedma  and  Ranjel 
narratives  have  only  recently  come  to  light;  and  it  is  practically 
certain  he  knew  absolutely  nothing  as  to  the  topography  of  the 
country.  Prof.  Lewis  rejects  as  worthless  most  of  the  maps 
relative  to  this  matter. 

97 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

To  illustrate  the  utter  worthlessness  and  unreliability  of 
some  of  the  work  of  cartographers,  consult  the  Atlas,  Vol.  10, 
p.  4,  of  the  Century  Dictionary,  which  undertakes  to  show  the 
route  pursued  by  various  discoverers  on  this  continent,  and 
among  them  the  route  of  De  Soto.  According  to  this  map  De  Soto 
did  not  go  far  enough  north  in  Mississippi  to  reach  the  Chickasaw 
country,  and  crossed  the  great  river  about  where  Vicksburg  now  is. 

Probably  more  money  and  talent  were  bestowed  on  bringing 
out  that  great  dictionary  than  on  any  other  in  the  history  of  this 
country,  still  no  one  who  has  carefully  studied  this  matter  can 
defend  this  so-called  map,  showing  the  route  of  De  Soto  through 
Mississippi. 

A  word  as  to  Lusher's  map.  The  copy  I  examined  belongs 
to  Captain  J.  D.  Fontaine,  nestor  of  the  Pontotoc  bar,  who 
kindly  lent  it  to  E.  T.  Winston  of  Pontotoc  to  send  to  me  for 
examination,  with  many  injunctions  for  safe  keeping  and  its  safe 
return.  From  outside  to  outside  it  is  18x24  inches,  of  fine 
workmanship,  is  on  quite  thin,  but  good  paper,  folds  up  book-like, 
with  extra  good  binding,  so  that  it  can  be  carried  in  the  coat 
pocket.     This  is  the  inscription  on  it: 

"Map  of  the  land  ceded  by  the  Chickasaws  to  the  United 
States  in  1832  and  1834  from  actual  survey  by  Henry  M.  Lusher, 
draughtsman  in  the  office  of  the  Surveyor  General  of  lands  in 
Missis.  Ceded  by  the  Chickasaws,  1835.  Approved  John  Bell, 
Surveyor  of  land  in  Missis.  Ceded  by  the  Chickasaws,  Benja. 
Reynolds,  Chickasaw  Agent." 

Beneath  the  above  in  small  print  there  is  this:  "Pendleton's 
Lithography,  Boston  Eddy.  delt.  on  stone."  Of  course  there  was  the 
usual  display  of  capitals,  etc.,  but  I  have  made  a  literal  copy  of  the 
verbiage ;  from  which  I  think  it  appears  that  the  map  is  as  authentic 
and  correct  as  one  could  be  made  in  1835.  The  Indians  had  not 
then  left  Mississippi,  but  were  still  occupying  their  ancestral  homes. 

In  a  letter  Mr.  Winston  called  my  attention  to  what  he 
termed  the  main  Chickasaw  trail,  a  part  of  which  is  indistinctly 

98 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

shown  on  Lusher's  map,  and  which,  coming  from  the  south, 
intersected  the  Tombigbee  on  the  east,  where  Columbus  now  is. 

Winston  then  quotes  from  Claiborne,  saying  that  De  Soto 
followed  an  Indian,  trail  or  buffalo  path  some  five  miles  up  to 
Lincecum's  shoals,  just  above  the  mouth  of  the  Tibbee  and  a 
little  below  the  present  town  of  Waverly.  The  Tombigbee  here 
is  bifurcated  by  an  island,  the  first  obstruction  below  Butahatchie. 
The  gravel  discharged  from  this  stream  lodged  against  the  island 
and  rendered  both  channels  fordable  a  great  part  of  the  year,  and 
this  is  the  only  point  where  the  Spaniards  could  have  forded  in 
December.  It  was  the  crossing  used  by  the  Choctaws  when 
going  to  their  villages  and  hunting  grounds  east  of  the  Tombigbee. 
The  trail  struck  here  a  stretch  of  prairie  between  Tibbee  and 
Hanging  Kettle  Creeks,  and  crossed  the  present  Mobile  and  Ohio 
Railroad  at  Lookhattan,  thence  a  little  west  of  the  railroad  by 
Muldon,  Prairie  Station  and  Egypt. 

The  early  settlers  of  this  portion  of  Mississippi  remember 
the  well  worn,  beaten  trail,  long  disused  but  distinctly  defined, 
and  can  to  this  day  trace  it  from  plantation  to  plantation. 

On  leaving  Egypt  the  trail  tended  northwest  up  the  ridge 
known  as  Feathers  ton's  Ridge,  through  a  series  of  glades  three  or 
four  miles  west  of  Okolona  and  up  the  second  bottom  on  the  east 
side  of  Suquatouchee  Creek.  There  it  struck  Pontotoc  Ridge 
four  miles  east  of  the  ancient  Chickasaw  Council  House.  Near 
this  point  stood  the  first  Chickasaw  town,  and  in  the  vicinity  the 
Spaniards  went  into  winter  quarters. 

Winston  then  gives  the  route  of  De  Soto  as  passing  thence 
up  the  Pontotoc  Ridge  to  New  Albany  and  thence  (as  he  thought) 
along  the  short  cut  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs ;  and  this  in  the  opinion 
of  Mr.  Winston  was  the  route  over  which  De  Soto  traveled,  and 
discovered  the  great  river  where  Memphis  now  is.  For  years  he 
has  studied  this  matter  very  carefully  from  every  angle,  and 
being  on  the  ground  and  undertaking  the  topography  of  the 
country  thoroughly,  his  opinion  is  entitled  to  great  weight. 


99 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Remember,  there  was  no  Indian  trail  towards  Tunica  County, 
or  in  that  direction.  If  the  Indians,  going  single  file,  found  it 
impracticable  to  have  a  trail  through  these  swamps,  how  could 
De  Soto  expect  to  cut  out  a  way  for  his  horses,  army,  their  bag- 
gage, etc.?  All  Indian  trails  wind  in  and  out  in  a  tortuous 
manner,  because  they  knew  not  only  the  impassable,  but  the 
bad  places  and  these  they  went  around.  Although  the  Pigeon 
Roost  Road  has  been  changed  and  partially  straightened  out, 
first  by  order  of  the  public  authorities,  then  by  the  Pigeon  Roost 
and  Chulahoma  Turnpike  Company,  chartered  October  31,  1853, 
when  the  road  was  rebuilt  and  made  into  a  plank  road,  still  it  is 
today  one  of  the  crookedest  roads  leading  from  Memphis,  thus 
bearing  the  unmistakable  impress  of  its  Indian  origin. 

Why  attribute  to  De  Soto  the  monumental  folly  of  refusing 
to  travel  any  one  of  three  well  defined  trails  leading  to  the 
greatest  and  best  known  headland  in  all  the  lower  Mississippi 
valley  on  the  great  river,  and  on  the  other  hand  deliberately 
choosing  to  go  through  the  impenetrable  swamps  where  the 
Indians  dared  not  make  a  trail  for  themselves? 

Bear  in  mind  also  that  there  was  high  land  across  the  river 
from  Memphis,  where  there  are  even  to  this  day  Indian  mounds, 
where  Mound  City  now  is,  evidently  named  after  the  mounds, 
and  from  which  the  Indians  unquestionably  had  trails  leading 
northward  and  westward. 

Looking  now  to  the  three  favorite  narratives  of  Prof.  Lewis, 
we  find  that  they  point  with  unerring  accuracy  to  the  short 
Chickasaw  trail  as  the  one  used  by  De  Soto. 

Biedma  is  commended  for  giving  the  details  for  directions 
and   distances,  and   he  says, 

"we  remained  here  two  months  (meaning  near  the  Chicka- 
saws),  getting  ready  what  were  necessary  of  saddles,  lances,  and 
targets,  and  then  left,  taking  the  direction  to  the  northwest, 
towards  a  province  called  Alibamo." 

Mark,  they  went  northwest,  which  accurately  described  the  di- 
rection of  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  and  is  in  accord  with  Lusher's  map. 

100 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

As  the  expedition  started  in  the  direction  we  claim,  the 
next  inquiry  is  as  to  the  character  of  the  country  over  which  it 
passed,  upon  which  so  much  stress  is  laid  by  Professor  Lewis. 
He  says  Ran j el  is  the  most  accurate  of  all  the  narrators  and  we 
will  quote  not  in  part  but  the  exact  words  used  by  Ranjel  as  follows : 

"Saturday,  the  last  of  April,  the  army  set  out  from  the  place 
of  barricade  and  marched  nine  days  through  a  deserted  country 
and  by  a  rough  way,  mountainous  and  swampy,  until  May  8,  when 
they  came  to  the  first  village  of  Quizquiz,  etc." 

Mark,  in  the  first  place,  that  they  went  "by  a  rough  way," 
which  implies  that  they  were  traveling  over  a  "way,"  which 
means,  I  think,  along  an  Indian  trail,  for  in  common  parlance  the 
trail  might  very  well  be  termed  "a  rough  way,"  as  no  doubt  it  was. 

But  the  important  feature  is  that  this  rough  way  was 
"mountainous  and  swampy."  At  first  blush  the  words  "moun- 
tainous and  swampy"  might  seem  contradictory;  but  when 
reference  is  had  to  the  topography  and  character  of  the  country 
over  which  the  expedition  actually  passed,  I  insist  no  other  two 
single  words  could  more  accurately  describe  the  road  De  Soto 
traveled.  The  abrupt  hills  on  both  sides  of  Holly  Springs,  being 
spurs  from  the  Tippah  Highlands,  even  to  this  day  rear  their 
heads  skyward,  as  silent  witnesses  or  sentinels  attesting  the 
verity  of  Ranjel's  statement  when  he  says  the  country  was 
mountainous.  This  no  man,  however  learned,  can  deny. 

It  is  equally  certain  that  no  mountainous  country  could  be 
encountered  by  De  Soto  had  he  turned  westward  on  leaving 
where  New  Albany  now  is,  as  Professor  Lewis  says  he  did. 
Was  the  Professor  impressed  with  this  important  fact,  when,  in 
quoting  Ranjel,  he  omitted  the  word  "mountainous?" 

But  it  may  be  asked,  what  of  the  word  "swampy"  used  by 
Ranjel;  and  I  answer  it  very  correctly  fits  the  river  and  creek 
bottoms  over  which  the  Chickasaw  trail  passed. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  narrative  of  the  Gentleman  of 
Elvas  seems  to  be  much  relied  upon  in  this  connection,  I  will 
next  quote  from  that,  which  is  as  follows: 

101 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"He  accordingly  set  out  for  Quizquiz,  and  marched  seven 
days  through  a  wilderness,  having  many  pondy  places,  with 
thick  forests,  fordable,  however,  on  horseback,  all  to  some  basins 
or  lakes  that  were  swum." 

The  original  sentence  may  have  been  in  good  Spanish ;  if  so, 
the  last  part  has  not  been  happily  translated  into  English. 
Nevertheless  the  import  of  the  text  is  clear,  and  the  only  ques- 
tion is,  Did  parts  of  the  trail  lead  over  or  through  places  as 
above  described?    Unquestionably  they  did. 

The  very  fact  that  the  Chickasaws  had  a  long  trail  on  top  of 
the  Pontotoc  Ridge  going  directly  north  near  to  Bolivar,  Tennes- 
see, and  turning  thence  abruptly  west,  and  that  they  also  had 
the  intermediate  trail,  both  of  which  were  so  roundabout,  and 
so  much  further  to  the  bluffs  than  the  less  used  Chickasaw  short 
trail,  of  itself  is  a  demonstration  that  the  Indians  regarded  the 
short  trail  as  a  swampy,  boggy,  and  dangerous  trail,  and  not  fit 
for  use,  except  in  dry  seasons  or  in  emergencies. 

Any  observant  man  seventy  years  old,  who  knew  or  passed 
over  the  river  and  creek  bottoms  on  this  trail,  or  over  the  inter- 
mediate trail  in  his  early  years,  will,  without  hesitation,  state 
that  they  were  covered  with  thick  forests,  and  interpersed  with 
canebrakes,  lagoons,  sloughs,  cypress  brakes,  and  the  like, 
which  made  them  near  impassable  and  veritable  wilder- 
nesses. Where  is  the  man  described  that  will  dispute  these 
facts? 

As  stated  by  E.  T.  Winston,  the  Indians  knew  every  foot  of 
these  trails,  through  the  bottoms  especially;  knew  the  solid 
ground  from  that  which  appeared  solid,  but  in  reality  was  a 
quagmire;  knew  the  shallow  water  from  the  deep  water;  the 
hard  bottom  from  quicksand  bottom ;  and  knew  when  and  where 
to  cross  the  streams  or  lagoons,  sloughs,  etc.,  and  could  pass 
over  almost  dry  shod  where  De  Soto  and  his  men,  burdened  with 
armor  and  baggage,  and  with  his  horses,  would  find  an  almost 
impassable  way. 

Who  doubts  the  correctness  of  these  deductions? 

102 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

View  the  situation  from  another  angle.  J.  J.  Rawlings  died 
in  Memphis  in  1900,  aged  ninety- two  years,  and  was  then  the  oldest 
inhabitant,  an  honored  man,  and  altogether  a  picturesque  charac- 
ter and  in  the  evening  of  life  he  wrote  some  of  his  reminiscences, 
which  are  preserved  in  pamphlet  form.  He  was  born  in  1808, 
came  to  the  Bluffs  in  1824,  before  Memphis  was  incorporated; 
and  says  that  in  1826  or  1827,  he  and  Marcus  B.  Winchester 
(the  first  mayor  of  Memphis)  and  W.  D.  Dabney  (soon  to  be  a 
very  prominent  man)  went  down  into  Mississippi  to  visit  the 
Chickasaws,  and  be  there  when  the  Indian  agent  made  his  dis- 
bursements, so  they  could  collect  what  the  Indians  owed.  After 
dancing  all  night,  for  more  than  one  night,  with  the  dark-eyed 
beauties  of  the  forest,  these  three  hardy  young  pioneers  started 
home,  when  Rawlings  relates  this  incident: 

"On  nearing  home  we  were  pressing  our  horses  to  reach  a 
house  we  thought  was  ahead;  we  never  found  it.  We  got  lost  in 
Cold  Water  Bottom,  a  dark  and  dismal  place.  We  worried  about 
in  the  dark  until  we  found  it  was  no  use.  Our  horses  being  very 
tired,  we  stripped  them  and  turned  them  loose  to  eat  pea  vines. 
We  commenced  preparing  to  stay  in  that  horrible  place  all 
night.  Our  first  effort  was  to  get  a  light — no  matches  in  those 
days.  We  had  spunk  and  steel  and  with  all  our  efforts  we  could 
never  get  a  fire.  We  gave  it  up  for  a  bad  job  and  spread  our 
saddles  on  the  ground.  Sleep  was  not  expected.  Foxes  and  wolves 
were  barking  all  around  us,  owls  hooting — plenty  of  music; 
that  was  not  the  worst  of  it,  there  were  millions  of  mosquitoes  to 
the  square  inch  and  it  was  as  much  as  we  could  do  to  save  our 
lives  from  the  infernal  pests.  Next  day  we  reached  home,  after 
a  sleepless  night.  On  looking  in  the  glass  we  did  not  know  our- 
selves. You  could  not  put  the  point  of  a  pin  on  our  faces  and 
hands  where  there  was  not  a  mosquito  bite." 

And  still  Professor  Lewis  would  have  us  believe  that  it  was 
almost  a  picnic  trip  for  De  Soto,  in  1541,  to  go  through  these 
swamps  with  his  army  and  horsemen,  without  a  guide,  where 
white  men  never  trod  before,  and  where  even  the  Indians  did  not 
venture,  except  in  dry  weather  or  in  great  emergencies. 

103 


CHAPTER  VI 

DE  SOTO  AT  THE  CHICKASAW  BLUFFS 

We  now  come  to  a  consideration  of  the  topography  and 
general  lay  of  the  land  at  and  adjacent  to  the  Fourth  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  whereon  Memphis  is  enthroned,  and  declared  by  some  of 
the  most  eminent  historians  to  be  the  place  where  the  Mississippi 
River  was  discovered  by  Hernando  De  Soto. 

The  point  where  Madison  Avenue  intersects  Front  Street  is 
locally  considered  about  the  center  of  the  city,  though  not  quite 
midway  between  the  north  and  south  extremities  of  the  bluff 
where  it  intersects  the  Mississippi;  and,  moreover,  this  point  is 
only  about  400  to  500  feet  from  the  water's  edge;  and  doubtless 
for  these  reasons  it  is  the  first  point  mentioned  by  Pashby  in  stating 
the  altitude  of  various  places  in  the  city. 

The  bluff  rises  at  Madison  and  Front  eighty-eight  feet 
above  low  water;  and  further  below,  at  the  Indian  Mounds, 
called  Jackson  Mounds,  and  now  forming  De  Soto  Park,  the 
bluff  is  one  hundred  and  two  feet  above  low  water.  Before 
the  advent  of  the  white  man  there  sprang  from  the  tops  of  these 
bluffs  a  giant  forest,  many  of  the  trees  being  over  one  hundred 
feet  high,  so  that  the  tops  of  this  great  forest  rose  over  two 
hundred  feet  above  low  water. 

To  any  one  passing  the  bluffs  on  the  river,  which  flows 
through  a  flat  alluvial  delta,  this  great  headland  could  not  fail 
to  make  a  deep  and  pleasing  impression.  And,  moreover,  the 
bluffs  were  but  an  extension  or  an  elbow  from  the  Pontotoc 
Ridge  or  Tippah  Highlands,  on  the  southern  projection  of  which 
the  Chickasaws  had  their  home. 

Wolf  River  rises  in  Tippah  County,  flows  first  northward, 
then  westward,  and  enters  the  Mississippi  at  the  north  end  of  the 

104 


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The  Chickasaw  Nation 

bluffs ;  and  in  this  connection  it  is  well  to  remember  that  for  miles 
up  stream  from  its  mouth  an  abrupt  bluff  rises  from  its  eastern 
and  southern  shores. 

Nonconnah  was  first  called  Chickasaw  Creek,  and  would  in 
Europe,  be  called  a  river.  With  its  meanders  it  is  probably  fifty 
miles  long.  Its  headwaters  also  commence  in  the  Tippah  High- 
lands, but  lower  down  in  Marshall  County,  Mississippi;  and 
first  trend  a  little  north  of  west  and  then  westward,  flowing  into 
the  Mississippi  at  the  southern  end  of  the  Chickasaw  Bluff,  only 
about  four  or  five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Wolf  River.  CD. 
Johnson,  secretary  of  the  Cossitt  Library,  called  to  my  attention 
a  quaint  small  volume,  entitled  The  Navigator,  the  first  edition 
of  which  appeared  in  1801,  written  by  a  riverman  for  rivermen 
navigating  the  Mississippi  and  some  of  its  tributaries,  and  having 
wood  cuts  of  the  Mississippi,  very  creditable  for  that  early  day. 

In  reference  to  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff  the  author  says: 

"Wolf  (called  by  Hutchins),  Margot  River.  This  is  a  hand- 
some little  river  on  the  left  side.  The  French  had  a  fort  here 
just  below  the  mouth  of  the  river,  called  Assumption  Fort, 
built  in  the  year  1736,  during  their  wars  with  the  Chickasaws, 
but  in  the  year  following  a  peace  ensued,  and  the  fort  was 
demolished.  A  good  landing  may  be  had  at  Wolf  River,  by  pull- 
ing over  after  you  pass  the  four  islands  above. 

"Fort  Pike  formerly  stood  just  below  Wolf  River,  but  a  better 
situation  was  pitched  upon,  and  a  fort  built  two  miles  lower 
down  the  bluff  called  Fort  Pickering. 

"It  occupies  the  commanding  ground  of  the  Fourth  Chickasaw 
Bluff,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi. 

"The  United  States  have  a  military  factor  here,  with  a  few 
soldiers.  The  settlement  is  thin  and  composed  of  what  is  called 
the  half  breed,  that  is,  a  mixture  of  the  whites  and  Indians,  a  race 
of  men  too  indolent  to  do  any  permanent  good  either  for  them- 
selves or  for  society.  A  landing  may  be  had  a  little  above  Fort 
Pickering,  but  it  is  not  a  very  good  one. 

"The  fourth  bluff  affords  a  commanding,  airy,  pleasant,  and 
extensive  situation  for  a  settlement,  and  the  soil  is  remarkably 
fertile.    Opposite  the  bluff  or  Wolf  River,  on  the  right  bank  of 

105 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  Mississippi,  there  used  to  stand  a  Spanish  fort,  now  demol- 
ished. When  this  post  was  in  possession  of  the  Spaniards,  the 
commandant  had  a  road  cut  in  a  straight  line  from  the  mouth 
of  Chickasaw  Creek  (a  small  creek  two  miles  below  Fort  Picker- 
ing) to  Wolf  River  for  the  purpose  of  taking  exercise  on  horse- 
back." 

Thus  we  see  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff  was  a  conspicuous 
headland,  Wolf  River  and  Nonconnah  being  conspicuous  streams 
entering  the  river  at  the  north  and  south  sides  of  the  bluff 
respectively.  These  bluffs  run  back  forming  a  backbone  or  ridge 
for  many  miles,  and  constitutes  the  watershed  between  Wolf  and 
Nonconnah,  the  ridge  extending  back  to  the  Tippah  Highlands 
or  Pontotoc  Ridge,  and  being  an  elbow  or  arm  therefrom. 

I  learn  from  J.  Paul  Gaines,  a  well  known  civil  engineer, 
that  this  ridge  is  called  to  this  day  Poplar  Ridge,  on  account  of 
the  splendid  trees  which  abounded  thereon,  locally  miscalled 
poplars,  and  which  furnished  one  of  the  most  valuable  timbers 
on  this  continent.  In  point  of  fact  the  so-called  poplar  is  the 
tulip  tree.  In  the  flowering  season  the  tulip  tree  bursts  radiantly 
into  bloom,  with  exquisitely  scented  and  strangely  colored 
flowers.  Having  a  lofty  gray  stem  and  crown  of  beautiful  leaves  the 
tulip  tree  is  one  of  the  most  notable  trees  of  our  forests,  and  at- 
tains in  the  South  a  growth  of  great  luxury. 

It  was  on  this  ridge  that  the  Chickasaws  sometimes  traveled 
from  their  home  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluff;  and  which  I  have 
denominated  the  intermediate  trail,  and  which  crosses  few, 
streams,  and  which  plainly  appears  on  Lusher's  map. 

It  is  possible  that  De  Soto  came  over  this  trail,  but  not 
probable;  for  I  believe  he  traveled  over  the  short-cut  trail, 
already  fully  described.  That  he  came  over  one  or  the  other  is 
the  important  consideration,  and  this,  I  believe,  appears  beyond 
a  reasonable  doubt. 

Professor  Lewis  wrought  out  an  argument  against  the  sup- 
position that  De  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi  River  on  the 

106 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Chickasaw  Bluffs,  based  mainly  on  alleged  quotations  from 
Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  one  purpose  of  which,  even  if  not  so  in- 
tended, served  the  purpose  to  discredit  that  eminent  historian. 

Later  I  will  undertake  to  show  that  he  misquotes  Garcilaso, 
called  by  him  the  "Inca";  but  at  this  juncture  my  purpose  is  to 
show  that  the  Professor  was  entirely  ignorant  of  the  topography 
and  geology  of  the  country  in  question;  otherwise  I  believe  he 
would  not  have  made  the  statements  he  did. 

Bear  in  mind  that  his  friend,  Dr.  Rowland,  very  correctly 
points  out  that  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  topography  and 
geology  of  the  country  is  very  essential  to  a  right  understanding 
of  the  matters  involved. 

In  order  to  have  a  clear  understanding  of  the  question  here 
at  issue  I  will  quote  that  part  of  the  Professor's  alleged  quotation 
from  Garcilaso  in  the  precise  words  of  the  Professor,  as  follows: 

"Because  of  many  streams  around  there,  they  could  not  use 
their  horses." 

The  Professor  then  adds: 

"It  will  readily  be  seen  that  this  description  does  not  apply 
to  Fort  Pickering." 

The  Professor  evidently  places  reliance  in  the  statement 
attributed  to  Garcilaso  that  there  were  "numerous  streams" 
adjacent  to  the  point  of  discovery.  That  there  were  numerous 
streams  all  over  the  bluffs  cannot  be  successfully  denied. 

As  stated,  what  is  called  Poplar  Ridge  is  a  narrow  ridge  of 
land  extending  from  the  Tippah  Highlands  some  fifty  miles  west- 
ward, stopping  abruptly  at  the  Mississippi  River,  the  west  end 
of  the  ridge  consisting  of  what  from  time  immemorial  has  been 
called  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs.  What  was  and  is  the  character  of 
the  soil  or  ground  of  these  bluffs?  It  is  what  is  called  a  loess  for- 
mation, consisting  of  a  fine  siliceous  loam  of  a  pale  yellow  color, 
having  in  it  considerable  sand,  almost  impalpably  fine.     Beneath 

107 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

this  formation  there  is  to  be  found  different  colored  sands  of 
varying  thickness,  laying  in  different  strata,  and  likewise  there  are 
strata  of  gravel. 

It  may  be  added  (though  not  pertinent  to  the  present  dis- 
cussion) that  some  three  hundred  feet  below  the  surface  a  thick 
blue  clay,  impervious  to  water,  is  found,  which  when  pierced,  is 
found  to  lay  upon  a  very  fine  white  water-bearing  sand,  and  from 
this  sand  gushes  up  the  inexhaustible  supply  of  pure  artesian 
water  with  which  the  city  is  supplied. 

With  a  given  high,  narrow  ridge  of  ground  composed  as 
above  indicated,  with  an  annual  rainfall  of  about  fifty  inches, 
how  could  it  be  otherwise  than  that  this  ridge  would,  in  course 
of  time,  be  furrowed  with  numerous  streams? 

And  with  a  primeval  forest,  cane,  and  underbrush  springing 
from  the  soil,  and  over  the  ground  decayed  vegetation  holding 
water  almost  like  a  sponge,  how  could  it  be  otherwise  than  that 
a  part  of  the  rainwater  would  percolate  the  loess,  and  flow  along 
lower  horizontal  strata  of  sand  or  gravel,  finding  an  outlet  as 
springs,  where  these  strata  were  cut  by  the  streams,  locally 
called  bayous? 

This  is  precisely  what  took  place. 

It  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  suppose,  as  apparently  as- 
sumed by  Professor  Lewis,  that  the  lay  of  the  land  at  the  top  of 
the  bluffs  and  backwards  towards  the  east  was  a  flat  expanse, 
for  to  the  contrary  it  was  much  broken  by  numerous  small  streams. 

Even  present  appearances  show  this  in  part,  but  we  must 
remember  that  the  most  of  these  small  streams,  hills,  and  hollows 
have  been  obliterated  in  the  building  of  the  city.  Thus,  my 
office  is  in  the  Cotton  Exchange  Building,  a  twenty-story  sky- 
scraper, fronting  Madison,  Second,  and  South  Court  Streets 
opposite  Court  Square.  No  one  now  would  ever  suppose  that 
formerly  a  small  stream  flowed  where  it  now  stands;  and  yet, 
when  some  years  since  the  foundations  of  this  building  were  laid, 
some  bridge  timbers,  roots  of  trees,  and  the  bed  of  a  small  stream 
were  found  twenty  feet  below  the  surface. 

108 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Very  little  of  the  storm  water  ran  or  runs  now  westward  from 
the  bluff  into  the  river,  because  on  an  average  not  exceeding  one 
1,000  feet  from  the  water's  edge,  the  surface  slopes  eastward, 
carrying  the  water  into  Bayou  Gayoso,  which  is  about  one- 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  river  going  east  on  Madison,  the  bed 
of  the  bayou  being  about  forty  feet  lower  than  the  bluff  at 
Madison  and  Front. 

The  bluffs  were  crisscrossed  by  numerous  streams,  the  chief 
one  being  Bayou  Gayoso,  some  five  and  a  half  miles  long,  run- 
ning in  a  main  north  by  west  direction,  emptying  into  Wolf 
River  about  2,500  feet  from  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi,  and 
with  its  east  and  west  forks,  the  Little  Betty  and  De  Soto,  drains 
the  southern  and  central  divisions  of  the  present  city.  The  main 
affluent  of  Bayou  Gayoso  is  Quimby  Bayou,  something  less  than 
four  and  a  half  miles  long  from  its  head  to  where  it  empties  into 
Bayou  Gayoso,  and  with  its  tributaries  drains  the  northern  part 
of  the  city. 

Probably  there  is  not  one  person  in  ten  thousand  in  Memphis 
today  who  is  aware  of  the  fact  that  as  late  as  1831  Bayou  Gayoso 
spread  out  into  a  large  lake  just  north  of  the  old  Louisville  & 
Nashville  depot  adjacent  to  Second  Street;  still  such  was  the 
case,  and  it  was  known  as  Catfish  Bay,  because  of  the  abundance 
of  fish,  and  especially  catfish,  to  be  found  in  its  waters. 

Flat  boats,  fishing  house  boats  and  other  water  craft  in  the 
early  days  came  from  the  Mississippi  up  Wolf  and  then  into 
Gayoso  for  good  fish  and  safe  anchorage  in  Catfish  Bay ;  and  many 
fishermen  built  little  shanties  on  the  shores  of  this  bay.  A 
movement  was  set  on  foot  to  clear  them  away,  as  unsightly  and  a 
nuisance,  which  fired  the  wrath  of  these  Catfish  Bay  inhabitants. 
Old  Ike  Rawlings  was  considered  a  fixture  in  the  mayor's  chair 
and  advocated  the  removal,  but  a  young  lawyer  lately  from 
Kentucky,  named  Seth  Wheatley,  took  up  the  cudgel  for  Catfish 
Bay  and  its  inhabitants  and  defeated  Rawlings  for  mayor  in 
1 83 1.  The  end  of  Catfish  Bay  is  thus  set  forth  by  Keating  (p. 
184): 

109 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Two  nights  after  Wheatley's  election  as  mayor,  a  perfect 
sluice  of  tan-ooze  and  filth,  from  Carr's  tannery,  was  sent  into 
the  bayou,  and  thus  found  its  way  to  the  bay;  the  waters  of 
which  were  so  polluted  that  the  fish  were  killed  and  the  water 
could  no  longer  be  used  for  any  domestic  service.  Great  in- 
dignation followed,  much  of  it  expressed  in  the  adjectives  and 
expletives  usual  to  the  orators  of  Pinch,  but  Catfish  Bay  was 
ruined,  and  the  people  quickly  left  it  and  its  shores.  Some  of 
the  boats  were  floated  out,  others  were  broken  up,  and  the  shanties 
were  taken  down  and  moved  to  other  localities.  The  merchants 
and  citizens  were  very  liberal,  and  the  change  was  effected  in  a 
very  short  time  and  at  last  with  the  best  of  feeling.  After  a 
few  days  all  were  quieted  down,  and  the  names  Catfish  Bay  and 
Pinch  Gut  were  dropped." 

Probably  there  are  not  a  half  dozen  people  in  Memphis  who 
know  that  the  site  of  Carr's  Tannery  referred  to  was  on  a  large 
bayou  in  the  present  Southern  Railroad  yards  between  Madison 
and  Adams  Avenues,  bounded  on  the  west  by  Lauderdale,  and 
that  this  large  bayou  flows  now  through  brick  culverts  under  the 
surface  since  the  building  of  the  first  railroad  into  Memphis  in 

1857. 

Speaking  of  fish  it  may  be  mentioned  that  in  the  early  days 
numerous  cool  springs  were  dotted  all  along  the  course  of  these 
bayous,  which  cut  deep  down  into  the  soil  so  that  there  was  cool 
running  water  in  the  bayous  all  the  year  round.  The  veteran 
and  retired  banker,  Miles  S.  Buckingham,  in  his  reminiscent 
moods,  is  fond  of  telling  how  in  early  days,  when  the  dogwoods 
were  in  blossom,  he  would  take  his  hook  and  line  any  day  and 
bring  home  a  long  string  of  the  finest  game  fish,  caught  from  the 
cool  waters  of  the  bayou  south  of  Vance  Avenue. 


What  a  beautiful,  nay,  was  not  the  Chickasaw  Bluff  country 
an  ideal  place  for  a  home  of  the  children  of  the  forest?  Might 
we  not  expect  permanent  Indian  villages  on  the  bluffs  proper  and 
the  adjacent  country? 


110 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

But  we  are  not  entirely  left  to  conjecture  as  to  the  impres- 
sion which  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and  the  surrounding  country 
would  naturally  make  upon  any  stranger  who  first  looked  upon 
its  primeval  beauty. 

After  the  foregoing  was  written  and  printed,  I  read  for  the 
first  time  the  History  of  Louisiana  by  Monsieur  Le  Parge  Du- 
Pratz,  first  published  in  1858.  Not  long  after  1720  DuPratz 
made  a  trip  from  his  home,  then  at  Natchez,  to  the  Chickasaw 
country,  the  first  part  of  the  journey  being  by  land  and  the  last 
part  by  water  up  the  Mississippi,  landing  at  the  Chickasaw  "Cliffs." 

The  place  of  landing  is  not  only  described  but  also  shown 
upon  a  map  attached  to  the  history,  on  which  it  is  stated  that  it 
was  made  by  the  author  in  1757,  the  map  being  an  unusually 
fair  representation  of  the  adjacent  country,  and  particularly 
shows  the  high  ground  bordering  the  river,  thus  very  clearly  and 
accurately  representing  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  with  the  words 
"The  Chickasaw  Cliffs"  printed  opposite. 

After  landing  at  the  bluffs  DuPratz  states  that  they  hid 
their  boats,  making  an  excursion  into  the  adjacent  country, 
where  they  found  numbers  of  buffaloes,  elk,  deer,  and  other  game, 
and  likewise  wolves,  tigers,  and  catamounts,  and  describing  it  as 
a  charming  country.     On  page  150  he  says: 

"I  could  have  wished  to  end  my  days  in  these  charming 
solitudes,  at  a  distance  from  the  tumultuous  hurry  of  the  world, 
far  from  the  pinching  gripe  of  avarice  and  deceit.  There  it  is, 
said  I  to  myself,  one  relished  a  thousand  innocent  delights,  and 
which  are  repeated  with  satisfaction  ever  new.  It  is  there  one 
lives  exempt  from  the  assaults  of  censure,  detraction,  and  cal- 
umny. In  those  delightsome  meadows,  which  often  extend  far 
out  of  sight,  and  where  we  see  so  many  different  species  of  animals, 
there  it  is  we  have  occasion  to  admire  the  beneficence  of  the 
Creator.  To  conclude,  there  it  is  that,  at  the  gentle  purling  of 
a  pure  and  living  water,  and  enchanted  with  the  concerts  of 
birds,  which  fill  the  neighbouring  thickets,  we  may  agreeably 
contemplate  the  wonders  of  nature,  and  examine  them  all  at  our 
leisure." 

Ill 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

As  we  have  seen,  the  old  Chickasaw  trail  came  from  the 
southeast  after  crossing  Nonconnah  and  along  the  line  of  the 
present  Pigeon  Roost  Road,  then  passed  up  Brown's  Hill,  thus  ab- 
ruptly ascending  from  the  low  to  high  land ;  and  in  a  short  distance 
there  commences  a  beautiful  expanse  of  almost  level  country, 
some  six  or  seven  miles  from  the  courthouse  in  Memphis. 

In  my  opinion  this  was  the  vicinity  of  Quizquiz,  the  first 
village  reached  by  De  Soto  near  the  great  river. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  Poplar  Ridge 
afforded  the  only  country  adapted  to  permanent  villages  for  the 
Indians.  Quite  to  the  contrary,  the  country  north  of  Wolf 
River  and  south  of  Nonconnah  furnished  ideal  conditions  for 
permanent  villages  for  the  Indians;  and,  moreover,  at  one  time 
how  remote  no  one  knows,  they  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present 
Capleville,  Tennessee,  some  twelve  miles  from  Memphis,  where 
there  were  in  early  days  abundant  springs,  but  now,  alas!  the 
most  of  them  are  gone,  or  else  so  shrunken  as  to  be  scarce  shadows 
of  their  former  proportions. 

Nearly  due  east  of  the  Ila  Douglass  homestead,  say  eleven 
miles  from  Memphis  and  one  mile  from  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road, 
and  across  Little  Nonconnah  Creek,  there  is  to  this  day  in  a  culti- 
vated field,  the  remnants  of  a  salt  lick,  covering  about  one-fourth 
of  an  acre  of  ground ;  a  geologic  feature  of  the  country  as  rare  as 
it  was  valuable  to  the  Indians. 

About  a  mile  in  a  southeasterly  direction  from  the  lick  there 
were  in  my  boyhood  days  two  old  Indian  fields  surrounded  by 
dense  forests,  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  apart.  It  was  the 
custom  of  the  Chickasaws  to  live  apart  to  a  large  extent,  doubtless 
being  taught  by  experience  that  this  contributed  to  their  good 
health  and  general  well  being.  One  of  these  Indian  fields  is  on 
the  estate  of  my  late  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Lou  Malone  Ellis. 

About  one  mile  west  of  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road  and  some  two 
miles  west  of  the  salt  lick,  there  is  upon  the  estate  of  the  late 
George  R.  Tuggle,  a  considerable  Indian  mound,  formerly  having 
large  trees  standing  thereon.     These  trees  have  been  cut  long  gince, 

112 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  the  adjacent  ground  put  in  cultivation.  Near  this  mound 
and  on  top  of  a  high  ridge  there  were  two  pondy  places,  such  as  re- 
ferred to  by  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas.  When  I  was  a  boy,  these 
pondy  places  were  of  considerable  extent;  in  fact,  were  miniature 
lakes,  having  clear  water  in  them  the  year  round,  and  in  winter 
I  have  often  seen  them  covered  with  wild  ducks  and  other  wild 
fowls.  One  of  them  has  been  drained  for  agricultural  purposes, 
and  the  other  is  much  shrunken  in  size.  George  M.  Douglass 
owns  the  property  on  which  the  salt  lick  can  now  be  seen.  His 
parents  were  among  the  early  settlers,  he  now  being  on  the  shady 
side  of  seventy,  but  hale  and  hearty.  He  well  remembers  being 
shown  when  a  boy  a  large  tree,  with  low,  heavy  limbs,  in  which  he 
was  told  the  Indians  sought  a  perch  from  which  they  could  easily 
kill  deer  and  other  game  (with  their  bows  and  arrows)  which 
came  to  the  lick  for  salt. 

Milton  Blocker  was  born  and  has  lived  all  his  life  at  the 
pretty  little  village  of  Olive  Branch,  Mississippi,  some  seven 
miles  southeast  of  the  salt  lick  referred  to,  he  now  also  being 
on  the  shady  side  of  seventy,  but  very  active  and  alert  for  his 
years.  His  father  and  mother  settled  on  a  large  estate  while  the 
Indians  were  still  in  Mississippi,  a  part  of  which  he  now  owns. 
He  readily  recalls  hearing  his  mother,  who  lived  to  an  old  age, 
speak  of  the  salt  lick  referred  to,  and  its  great  value  to  the 
Indians,  in  drawing  to  it  the  abundant  game  of  the  country  from 
far  and  near. 

As  showing  the  uses  to  which  the  Indians  put  these  rare 
salt  licks,  and  the  dangers  attendant  thereon,  I  will  here  insert 
an  excerpt  from  Cushman  (pages  486,  487)  : 

"When  watching  at  a  deer  lick  at  night  by  the  light  of  the 
full-orbed  moon,  in  which  the  writer  has  indulged  years  ago 
in  the  Mississippi  forests  then  untouched  by  the  ax,  the  hunter 
found  as  his  rival  in  the  same  sport,  the  panther  or  the  cata- 
mount, sometimes  both;  and  whose  presence  was  made  known 
by  the  moving  shadow  cast  upon  the  ground  by  moonlight,  as 
he  was  preparing  to  leap  from  his  perch  upon  a  deer  that  had, 

113 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

unconscious  of  danger,  walked  into  the  lick.  An  incident  of  this 
kind  happened  to  a  hunter  in  Oktibbihaw  County,  Mississippi, 
shortly  after  the  exodus  of  the  Choctaws.  He  had  found  a  deer  lick 
in  Catarpo  (corruption  of  the  Choctaw  word  Katapah,  stopped; 
referring  to  the  obstructions  in  the  creek  by  drifts)  swamps, 
which  was  much  frequented  by  the  deer.  He  built  a  scaffold 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high  on  the  edge  of  a  lick,  and  on  a  beautiful 
night  of  the  full  moon,  shortly  after  sundown,  took  his  seat 
thereon.  About  ten  o'clock  at  night  a  deer  noiselessly  entered 
the  lick  a  few  rods  distant  from  his  place  of  concealment,  and 
began  licking  the  salty  earth;  he  was  just  in  the  act  of  shooting 
it,  when  his  attention  was  attracted  from  the  deer  to  a  moving 
shadow  upon  the  ground  between  him  and  the  deer;  he  at  once 
looked  up  to  ascertain  who  his  neighbor  was,  and  was  not  a  little 
surprised  to  see  a  huge  panther  standing  on  a  projecting  limb  of 
a  tree  that  reached  nearly  over  and  just  behind  him,  and  pre- 
paring to  spring  upon  the  unsuspecting  deer.  He  thought  no 
more  of  the  deer,  and  gave  his  undivided  attention  to  his  rival, 
who  had  unceremoniously  and  clandestinely  taken  his  seat  a 
little  higher  and  nearly  over  his  head,  without  so  much  as  say- 
ing 'by  your  leave.'  Not  being  very  fastidious  just  then,  he 
quietly  yielded  the  right  of  precedence  to  his  fellow  hunter 
above  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  deer  quietly  licking  the 
salty  earth  below.  For  several  minutes  he  gazed  upon  the  huge 
beast  as  it  maneuvered  upon  the  limb,  seemingly  doubtful  as  to 
making  a  successful  spring.  Finally  the  panther  made  a  tre- 
mendous leap  from  the  limb,  passing  almost  directly  over  the 
hunter's  head,  and  lit  directly  upon  the  deer's  back.  The  bleat- 
ing of  the  helpless  deer  momentarily  broke  the  stillness  of  the 
forest,  and  then  all  was  hushed.  The  panther  pulled  his  victim 
to  the  outer  edge  of  the  lick,  stood  a  moment,  and  then  with 
mighty  bounds  disappeared  in  the  surrounding  forests.  During 
all  this  the  hunter  sat  quietly  upon  his  perch,  cogitating  over  the 
novel  scene.  But  his  reveries  were  suddenly  interrupted  by  a 
wild  and  terrible  yell,  seemingly  half  human  and  half  beast, 
fearful  enough  to  awaken  all  the  denizens  of  the  forest  for  miles 
away;  then  came  an  immediate  response  from  a  distant  point 
in  the  swamp.  That  was  enough  to  bring  the  hunter's  cogitations 
to  a  fixed  determination,  which  was  clearly  manifested  by  the 
agility  displayed  in  descending  the  scaffold,  and  the  schedule 
time  on  which  he  ran  towards  home,  leaving  the  two  panthers 

114 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

to  enjoy  their  unenvied  supper  of  venison  in  their  native  woods 
undisturbed.  Often  the  hunter  found  the  panther  had  preceded 
him  at  the  deer  licks;  in  all  such  cases,  having  previously  resolved 
never  to  dispute  precedency  with  any  gentleman  of  that  family, 
he  quietly  left  him  to  the  undisputed  possession  of  the  chance  of 
venison  for  that  night,  particularly." 


As  might  well  be  supposed,  the  Chickasaw  Indians  well 
knew  and  appreciated  the  great  value  of  salt  licks;  and  in  the 
ttreaty  by  which  they  ceded  their  possessions  in  West  Tennessee, 
vhey  especially  reserved  for  their  own  use,  and  the  emoluments 
expected  therefrom,  a  considerable  salt  lick  near  Paris,  Ten- 
nessee; out  of  which  quite  a  scandal  grew  up  and  was  fully  aired 
in  heated  debates  in  Congress  between  the  most  eminent  con- 
gressmen of  that  day. 

It  was  charged  that  certain  politicians  of  high  and  low 
degree,  closely  connected  with  President  Jackson,  had  taken 
advantage  of  their  official  positions  to  exploit  and  develop  these 
salt  mines  for  their  own  account;  for  salt  wells  were  sunk  there 
and  considerable  salt  turned  out  in  the  early  days,  but  not 
sufficiently  abundant  to  justify  continued  operations. 

In  Volume  9,  page  252,  of  the  American  (Tennessee)  His- 
torical Magazine,  under  date  of  July,  1904,  there  is  a  very 
interesting  article  by  the  late  Governor  James  D.  Porter,  giving 
a  good  account  of  this  salt  formation,  and  the  heated  con- 
troversy to  which  the  Chickasaw  treaty  in  reference  thereto 
gave  rise. 

No  one  can  doubt  that  at  some  former  prehistoric  period 
Indians  had  a  permanent  home  near  Capleville;  but  who  the 
Indians  were,  or  when  they  lived  there,  will  probably  remain  a 
shrouded  mystery,  though  the  probability  is  they  were  Chickasaws. 

The  Location  of  Qulzquiz— 

What  was  the  site  of  Quizquiz,  the  first  Indian  village 
taken  by  the  De  Soto  expedition,  just  before  the  discovery  of 

115 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  Mississippi?  This  has  to  me  been  an  interesting  question, 
and  I  will  now  state  my  conclusions  in  reference  thereto. 

It  will  aid  the  reader  to  turn  back  to  the  fifth  chapter,  in 
which  appears  verbatim  the  accounts  given  by  the  three  narra- 
tives which  have  received  the  commendation  of  Professor  Lewis 
and  Dr.  Rowland.  No  two  of  them  agree  as  to  the  details,  nor 
does  the  narrative  of  Garcilaso  agree  in  its  details  with  the  other 
three. 

This  is  not  surprising  for  obvious  reasons. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  main,  or  determinative,  facts  can  be 
grasped  from  a  consideration  of  the  three  narratives  taken 
together  and  construed  as  one  whole. 

From  these  it  appears  that  the  approach  to  the  river  was 
quite  gradual;  and  that  the  expedition  first  came  to  a  village 
called  Quizquiz,  then  to  another  not  named,  and  then  to  a  third, 
where  "they  saw  the  great  river";  that  is,  the  Mississippi. 
Rodrigo  Ranjel  is  much  commended  for  his  accuracy  of  state- 
ments, and  as  he  more  succinctly  and  clearly  states  the  details 
connected  with  the  discovery  of  the  river,  it  is  here  repeated  for 
convenience : 

"Saturday,  the  last  of  April,  the  army  set  out  from  the 
place  of  the  barricade  and  marched  nine  days  through  a  deserted 
country,  and  by  a  rough  way,  mountainous  and  swampy,  until 
May  8,  when  they  came  to  the  first  village  of  Quizquiz,  which 
they  took  by  assault  and  captured  much  people  and  clothes; 
but  the  governor  promptly  restored  them  to  liberty  and  had 
everything  restored  to  them  for  fear  of  war,  although  that  was 
not  enough  to  make  friends  of  these  Indians.  A  league  beyond 
this  village  they  came  upon  another  with  abundance  of  corn,  and 
soon  again  after  another  league,  upon  another,  likewise  amply 
provisioned.  There  they  saw  the  great  river." 

How  near  the  last  village  was  to  the  river  is  not  stated; 
but  presumptively  it  was  not  far. 

It  appears  quite  certain  that  Quizquiz  was  at  least  two 
leagues  from  the  river;  and  while  we  understand  that  a  league  is 

116 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

considered  in  this  country  to  be  three  English  miles,  the  real  in- 
quiry is  what  was  the  length  of  a  Spanish  league ;  for  presumably 
the  narrators  had  reference  to  the  Spanish  league. 

The  Century  Dictionary  gives  the  Spanish  league  as  4.214 
miles,  and  the  Spanish  judicial  league  as  being  2.634  miles  long. 
Which  kind  of  the  two  Spanish  leagues  the  narrators  had  in  mind 
we  have  no  means  to  determine;  but  I  think  we  may  safely  as- 
sume that  the  two  leagues  which  lay  between  Quizquiz  and  the 
river  covered  a  space  of  from  six  to  eight  miles;  and  following 
the  ancient  Chickasaw  trace,  which  is  now  the  Pigeon  Roost  Road, 
Quizquiz  was  somewhere  not  far  from  Brown's  Hill,  named  for 
Dr.  Robert  Frierson  Brown,  a  pioneer  land  owner  in  that  vicinity 
and  an  eminent  physician. 

From  Brown's  Hill  on  to  the  old  Bethel  place,  about  or  a 
little  over  a  mile,  there  is  an  unusually  level  expanse  of  country, 
with  barely  enough  inclination  to  drain  the  waters  falling  there- 
on; no  doubt  its  beauty  attracted  the  attention  of  P.  C.  Bethel,  a 
man  of  great  wealth,  who  built  a  palatial  residence  there 
before  the  Civil  War,  and  though  for  over  a  generation  it  has  been 
sadly  neglected,  it  still  rears  its  lofty  roof  towards  the  sky. 

As  usual,  Biedma  is  very  laconic,  saying  that  "the  town 
(Quizquiz)  was  near  the  banks  of  the  River  Espiritu  Santo"; 
that  is,  the  river  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  name  given  it  by  De 
Soto. 

It  is  manifest  that  the  word  near,  as  used  here,  has  no 
definite  significance;  but  under  the  surrounding  circumstances  I 
think  it  may  safely  be  said  that  at  a  distance  of  from  six  to  eight 
miles,  the  town  may  have  been  very  properly  described  as  being 
near  the  great  river.  The  Gentleman  of  Elvas,  after  mentioning 
the  capture  of  Quizquiz,  and  the  negotiations  and  circumstances 
attendant  thereon,  only  mentions  one  and  not  two  towns  visited 
before  reaching  the  Mississippi,  but  there  is  no  real  conflict  here 
between  him  and  Ranjel,  for  the  supposition  is  that  he  omitted  to 
mention  the  other  town,  either  by  inadvertence  or  because  it  was 
deemed  an  unnecessary  detail.   He  does  say,  however, 

117 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"there  was  little  maize  in  the  place,  and  the  governor  moved 
to  another  town,  half  a  league  from  the  great  river  (meaning  the 
Mississippi),  where  it  was  found  in  sufficiency." 

This  was  doubtless  the  third  village  mentioned  by  Ranjel, 
who  did  not  state  its  distance  from  the  river.  It  would  seem 
therefore,  that  Quizquiz  was  approximately  two  and  one-half 
leagues  from  the  Mississippi. 

De  Soto's  Camp  Near  a  River  Bank- 
There  are  some  other  details  which  dovetail  into  our  in- 
sistence that  the  Mississippi  was  discovered  on  these  bluffs,  to 
which  no  reference  is  made  by  those  who  deny  the  correctness 
of  our  conclusions. 

All  the  narratives  agree  that  the  Spaniards  came  upon  the 
Indians  suddenly,  and  Biedma  says  the  men  were  away  from  the 
village  working  in  the  maize  fields,  and  we  know  that  at  that 
time  of  the  year  the  young  corn  must  have  been  well  advanced, 
though  it  was  before  roasting  ears  were  ready  for  the  table. 
However,  in  the  various  villages  there  was  plenty  of  maize,  that 
is,  old  corn,  both  for  the  little  army  and  all  the  horses  of 
De  Soto.  This  shows  a  fruitful  country,  sufficient  and  more 
than  sufficient  to  supply  the  permanent  Indian  villages;  in  fact 
the  very  best  farming  lands  stretched  out  in  many  directions  far 
beyond  the  necessities  of  the  Indians.  Why  should  we  not  expect 
permanent  Indian  villages  in  this  stretch  of  the  country  so  per- 
fectly adapted  to  their  comfort  and  well  being? 

De  Soto  captured  all  the  women  in  Quizquiz,  numbering, 
according  to  Biedma,  300,  and  among  these  was  the  mother  of 
the  cacique;  and  De  Soto  held  these  as  hostages,  sending  word 
to  the  chief  by  one  of  the  captives  to  come  and  he  would  turn  his 
mother  and  the  captives  over  to  him,  but  the  wily  Indian  evi- 
dently scented  treachery,  and  declined  the  invitation. 

The  after  developments  are  not  stated  with  clearness  as  to 
time  or  the  exact  place;  nor  is  it  anywhere  stated  what  place 
De  Soto  pitched  camp  after  taking  into  custody  all  the  people  in 

118 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Quizquiz.  The  cacique  very  properly  demanded  the  uncon- 
ditional release  of  the  captives,  to  which  De  Soto  finally  agreed, 
because  his  men  had  arrived  weak  and  weary  for  the  want  of 
maize,  and  his  horses  were  also  lean.  How  long  these  negotiations 
were  pending  does  not  appear,  but  the  probability  is  they 
covered  at  least  one  or  two  whole  days.  After  stating  these  ne- 
gotiations, Elvas  adds: 

"The  next  day,  while  he  was  hoping  to  see  the  chief,  many 
Indians  came,  with  bows  and  arrows,  to  set  upon  the  Christians, 
when  he  commanded  that  all  the  armed  horsemen  should  be 
mounted  and  in  readiness.  Finding  them  prepared,  the  Indians 
stopped  at  the  distance  of  a  crossbow-shot  from  where  the 
governor  was,  near  a  river  bank,  where,  after  remaining  quietly 
half  an  hour,  six  chiefs  arrived  at  the  camp,"  etc. 

It  is  evident  that  De  Soto  had  drawn  up  his  cavalry  at  his 
camp  near  a  precipitous  bank,  in  order  to  protect  his  rear.  It 
is  not  said  that  he  was  near  a  river,  but  "near  a  river  bank," 
from  which  expression  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  De  Soto 
had  pitched  his  camp  upon  the  brow  of  Brown's  Hill,  or  in  that 
vicinity,  where  the  descent  from  the  high  to  the  low  ground  was 
sufficiently  abrupt  as  to  afford  protection  to  his  rear,  and  un- 
questionably such  conditions  then  prevailed,  though  much 
changed  since  then  by  the  effacing  ringer  of  the  white  man,  of 
time,  and  the  elements. 

If  it  be  said  Nonconnah  is  not  a  river,  then  my  answer  is 
that  it  all  depends  on  the  opinion  of  the  person  writing  the  nar- 
rative as  to  what  constitutes  a  river.  Usually  the  word  river  is 
understood  to  mean  a  considerable  body  of  water  flowing  in  a 
channel  with  a  certain  definite  course,  and  with  a  perceptible 
current  throughout  the  year.  At  that  time  Nonconnah  unques- 
tionably came  up  to  this  definition  of  a  river.  But  it  is  well 
known  that  in  arid  states  like  southern  California  and  southern 
Texas,  and  doubtless  in  the  arid  portions  of  Spain,  many  streams 
which  have  no  current  for  months  at  a  time  are  called  rivers. 

119 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  is  perfectly  possible  that  in  the  time  of  De  Soto,  now  near 
400  years  ago,  Nonconnah  may  have  run  at  the  foot  of  Brown's 
Hill,  for  the  precipitous  character  of  the  hill  or  bluff  indicates  that 
anciently  the  stream  washed  its  base,  and  such  streams  flowing 
through  alluvial  soil  often  change  their  courses. 

Today  Nonconnah  bottom  proper  is  one  mile  wide,  and 
going  south  after  emerging  from  the  bottom  proper  there  is  a 
low  expanse  over  a  mile  long  that  must  have  abounded  in  pondy 
places  and  thickets,  and  must  have  been  extremely  bad  to  cross  in 
the  days  of  De  Soto.  Evidently  Nonconnah  bottom  formed  to 
some  extent  a  natural  barrier  and  protection  to  the  Indians  living 
on  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  at  that  time,  from  incursions  coming  from 
the  south .  The  narratives  all  agree  that  there  were  no  natives  then 
living  in  the  country  traveled  over  by  the  expedition,  between 
Alibamo  and  Quizquiz,  because  of  a  war  between  the  Indians. 
All  agree  that  when  the  expedition  appeared  at  Quizquiz,  the 
Indians  were  taken  by  great  surprise,  the  men  being  at  work  in 
the  maize  fields. 

If  De  Soto  came  over  the  short-cut  or  direct  trail,  his  sudden 
ascent  from  Nonconnah  bottoms  up  and  upon  high  land,  sub- 
sequently called  Brown's  Hill,  with  the  seizure  of  all  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  first  village  he  reached,  very  naturally  took  the  In- 
dians by  complete  surprise.  It  could  not  be  otherwise.  The 
conditions  of  the  surrounding  country  demonstrated  how  it 
was  the  natural  result  for  the  Indians  to  be  taken  by  surprise; 
thus  dovetailing  into  the  details  of  the  story  as  given  by  the  three 
narratives. 

If  I  was  inclined  to  be  dogmatic,  I  might  here  enter  my  ipse 
dixit,  but  I  leave  that  course  for  others  more  learned,  leaving 
the  reader  to  draw  his  own  conclusions. 

While  I  have  stated  my  opinion  as  to  the  locality  of  De  Soto's 
first  camp  after  seizing  all  the  inhabitants  of  Quizquiz,  I  am  by 
no  means  dogmatically  wedded  to  that  opinion.  However,  there 
are  certain  main  facts  which  loom  up  so  plainly  that  they  can 
not  be  mistaken. 

120 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

(i)  De  Soto  suddenly  appeared  and  by  surprise  seized  all 
the  inhabitants  of  Quizquiz,  including  the  mother  of  the  cacique 
or  chief,  and  this  carried  consternation  to  the  Indians  and  called 
for  a  rescue. 

(2)  De  Soto,  apprehending  an  attack,  pitched  his  camp  near 
a  river-bank,  and  drew  up  in  battle  array  all  his  cavalry,  knowing 
that  their  appearance  usually  struck  terror  to  the  savages,  who 
knew  nothing  of  horses,  and  both  men  and  horses  being  encased 
in  armor,  gave  them  the  appearance  of  supernatural  monsters, 
something  on  the  order  of  the  fabled  centaurs  of  the  ancient 
Greeks.  This  array  had  the  desired  effect,  for,  instead  of  fighting, 
the  Indians,  through  the  six  chiefs  sent  to  De  Soto's  camp, 
effected  a  release  of  all  their  people  and  agreed  to  supply  the 
Spaniards  with  provisions.     Thus  hostilities  were  averted. 

(3)  After  all  this  had  transpired,  the  Gentleman  of  Elvas 
says: 

"There  was  little  maize  in  the  place,  and  the  governor 
moved  to  another  town,  half  a  league  from  the  great  river,  where  it 
was  found  in  sufficiency.  He  went  to  look  at  the  river,  and  saw 
that  near  it  there  was  much  timber  of  which  piraguas  might  be 
made,  and  a  good  situation  in  which  the  camp  might  be  placed, 
He  directly  moved,  built  houses,  and  settled  on  a  plain  a  crossbow- 
shot  from  the  water,  bringing  together  there  all  the  maize  of  the 
towns  behind,  that  at  once  they  might  go  to  work  and  cut  down 
trees  for  sawing  out  planks  to  build  barges." 

(4)  It  thus  clearly  appears  that  after  the  first  camp  on  the 
river  bank,  De  Soto  moved  to  another  town  half  a  league  from 
his  previous  camp;  and  from  this  second  camp  he  went  and  for 
the  first  time  looked  upon  the  Mississippi,  after  which  he  pitched 
his  third  or  last  camp  within  bow-shot  of  the  water,  and  began 
building  boats  to  cross  the  river. 

That  De  Soto  pitched  his  first  camp  for  defensive  purposes 
"near  a  river-bank,"  is  undoubtedly  true.  It  is  equally  true 
that  if  he  did  not  pitch  that  camp  at  or  near  the  bluffs  in  the 

121 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

vicinity  of  Brown's  Hill,  then  the  river  banks  of  Wolf  River  were 
both  sufficiently  high  and  precipitous  to  furnish  protection  to 
the  camp  and  could  readily  be  reached  by  reconnoitering  cavalry 
in  less  than  an  hour  from  Brown's  Hill. 

It  thus  appears  that  there  is  not  a  single  detail  in  the  three 
narratives,  that  is  not  accounted  for  and  in  complete  accord  with 
the  physical  appearances  or  topographical  features  of  the  country 
at  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff. 

Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  the  Inca— 

It  will  be  noted  that  I  have  referred  only  to  the  three  nar- 
ratives upon  which  Professor  Lewis  and  Dr.  Rowland  have 
placed  the  seal  of  their  approval,  and  I  might  safely  leave  the 
matter  here. 

The  learned  historians,  knowing  full  well  that  if  the  work  of 
Garcilaso  de  la  Vega  is  considered,  they  would  not  have  the 
pretense  of  a  defense  for  their  Tunica  theory,  affect  to  discredit 
his  narrative,  and,  not  satisfied  with  this,  misquote  what  he  said 
in  an  important  particular.  Both  from  inclination  and  in  justice 
to  the  truth  of  history  I  propose  to  look  a  little  more  deeply  into 
the  matter. 

If  it  be  said  that  this  is  wandering  somewhat  from  a  sketch 
of  the  Chickasaws,  I  answer  that  the  name  and  fame  of  the 
Chickasaws  are  wrapped  up  with  that  of  De  Soto  and  the  dis- 
covery of  the  great  river;  and,  moreover,  that  I  am  writing  this 
as  much  for  my  own  diversion  as  for  any  other  purpose;  sup- 
posing that  it  will  be  of  more  interest  to  my  immediate  family 
and  personal  friends  than  to  the  public  at  large. 

In  the  preface  to  his  book,  Conquest  of  Florida,  brought  out 
in  1 85 1,  Theodore  Irving  (the  nephew  of  Washington  Irving) 
said: 

"Garcilaso  de  la  Vega  was  a  man  of  rank  and  honor.  He 
was  descended  from  an  ancient  Spanish  stock  by  the  father's 
side,  while  by  the  mother's  he  was  of  the  lofty  Peruvian  line  of 

122 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  Incas.  His  narrative  was  originally  taken  down  by  himself 
from  the  lips  of  a  friend,  a  cavalier  of  worth  and  respectability, 
who  had  been  an  officer  under  De  Soto,  and  for  whose  probity  we 
have  the  word  of  the  Inca  as  a  guarantee.  It  was  authenticated 
and  enriched  by  the  written  journals  or  memoranda  of  two 
soldiers  who  had  served  in  the  expedition.  He  had  the  testi- 
mony, therefore,  of  three  eye-witnesses.  The  Portuguese  narra- 
tive, on  the  other  hand,  is  the  evidence  of  merely  a  single  eye- 
witness, who  gives  himself  out  as  a  cavalier,  or  gentleman;  but 
for  this  we  have  merely  his  own  word,  and  he  is  anonymous. 
There  is  nothing  intrinsic  in  his  work  that  should  entitle  it  to 
the  exclusive  belief  that  has  been  claimed  for  it.  It  agrees  with 
the  narrative  of  the  Inca,  as  to  the  leading  facts  which  form  the 
framework  of  the  story;  it  differs  from  it  occasionally,  as  to  the 
plans  and  view  of  Hernando  de  Soto;  but  here  the  Inca  is  most 
to  be  depended  upon — the  Spanish  cavalier  from  whom  he  de- 
rived his  principal  information  being  more  likely  to  be  admitted 
to  the  intimate  councils  of  his  commander  than  one  of  a  different 
nation,  and  being  free  from  the  tinge  of  national  jealousy  which 
may  have  influenced  the  statements  of  the  Portuguese. 

"The  narrative  of  the  Portuguese  is  more  meagre  and  concise 
than  that  of  Garcilaso,  omitting  a  thousand  interesting  anecdotes 
and  personal  adventures;  but  this  does  not  increase  its  credibility. 
A  multitude  of  facts,  gathered  and  gleaned  from  three  different 
persons,  may  easily  have  escaped  the  knowledge,  or  failed  to 
excite  the  attention,  of  a  solitary  individual.  These  anecdotes 
are  not  the  less  credible  because  they  were  striking  and  extraordi- 
nary; the  whole  expedition  was  daring  and  extravagant,  and 
those  concerned  in  it  men  who  delighted  in  adventure  and  ex- 
ploit." 


It  may  be  added  that  the  authors  of  the  three  narratives 
referred  to  are  wholly  unknown,  except  through  their  respective 
narratives;  while  Garcilaso  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
authors  of  his  age,  dying  in  1616,  the  same  year  Shakespeare  died 
in  England,  and  his  countryman,  Cervantes,  the  author  of  Don 
Quixote,  died  in  Spain ;  Garcilaso  being  a  worthy  contemporary  of 
those  two  immortals  in  the  literature  of  the  world. 

His  history  of  Peru  is  declared  by  a  competent  authority  to  be 

123 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"A  source  from  which  all  subsequent  writers  on  the  subject 
have  largely  drawn,  and  still  continues  to  be  one  of  the  chief 
authorities  on  ancient  Peru." 

While  he  is  chiefly  remembered  through  this  history,  he 
was  the  author  of  other  books  which  passed  through  various 
editions,  some  being  translated  into  French  and  English; 
and  as  late  as  1800,  or  nearly  200  years  after  his  death,  an 
edition  of  his  works,  in  seventeen  volumes,  was  brought  out  in 
Madrid. 

He  was  admired  by  his  countrymen  as  a  man  of  piety,  virtue, 
modesty,  and  of  devotion  to  letters,  and  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  as  a  historian.  He  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral  of 
Cordova  in  one  of  the  chapels  called  Garcilaso  in  his  honor; 
where  monumental  inscriptions  on  each  side  of  the  altar  record 
his  valor  (for  he  was  at  one  time  a  gallant  soldier),  his  virtues,  and 
his  literary  merits. 

And  this  is  the  author  whose  narrative  is  rejected,  admittedly 
superior  to  all  the  others  in  literary  style,  and  the  most  famous; 
its  rejection  being  upon  the  charge  that  it  is  spurious;  that  this 
good  and  distinguished  man,  without  any  motive  therefor, 
palmed  off  a  gigantic  literary  fraud  upon  the  world ! 


Garcilaso  realized  that  absolute  accuracy  in  all  its  details 
was  impossible  under  the  circumstances,  and  Irving  quotes  him 
assaying: 

"I  cannot  hold  myself  responsible  for  the  accuracy  of  the 
distances  I  give,  for  although  I  have  spared  no  exertions,  and 
have  used  all  the  diligence  to  arrive  at  the  truth,  yet  I  have  been 
unavoidably  compelled  to  leave  much  to  conjecture.  The 
Spaniards  had  no  instruments  with  them  by  which  they  could 
compute  distances;  their  main  object  was  to  conquer  the  country, 
and  seek  for  silver  and  gold ;  consequently,  they  gave  themselves 
little  trouble  to  note  the  route." 

124 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Nor  is  it  a  strange  thing  that  Garcilaso  should  "have  set 
down,"  as  it  was  then  phrased,  the  story  of  the  three  members  of 
the  De  Soto  expedition,  when  we  recall  the  almost  universal 
illiteracy  of  the  times,  as  well  as  the  custom  for  a  man  of  some 
literary  attainments  to  write  the  adventures  of  those  who  were 
unable  to  perform  that  service  for  themselves.  There  was  then, 
as  there  are  now  in  illiterate  countries,  many  professional  letter- 
writers,  all  of  which  is  very  natural  when  we  recall  the  conditions 
which  led  to  such  customs,  long  since  without  any  existence  in 
highly  developed  countries. 

It  was  also  a  strange  custom  of  those  times  for  authors 
to  withhold  their  identity;  as  witness  the  fact  that  no  one  to  this 
day  knows  who  was  the  author  of  the  narrative  of  "The  Gentle- 
man of  Elvas" ;  on  account  of  which  some  say  it  should  be  rejected ; 
but  when  we  consider  the  customs  of  those  days,  as  well  as  the 
internal  evidence  in  the  narrative,  its  rejection  would  be  an  act  of 
folly. 

I  will  now  reproduce  the  narrative  of  Garcilaso  as  it  appears 
in  Young's  History  of  Memphis,  beginning  on  page  22,  where  we 
read  that  the  account  there  appearing  is  from  the  French,  con- 
tained in  Richlet's  version  of  Garcilaso,  brought  out  in  1731. 
Robert  B.  Goodwin,  a  very  accurate  and  scholarly  member  of 
the  Memphis  bar,  made  the  translation  for  Judge  Young,  and 
kindly  looked  over  and  confirmed  his  translation  at  my  request; 
and  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  it  is  entirely  correct,  and  it 
is  here  given. 

The  Account  of  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega— 

"The  Spaniards  in  leaving  Alibamo  marched  across  a  waste 
country,  bearing  always  towards  the  north  in  order  to  get  further 
and  further  away  from  the  sea,  and  at  the  end  of  three  days 
they  came  in  view  of  the  capital  of  Chisca,  which  bears  the  name 
of  its  province  and  of  its  ruler.  This  town  is  situated  near  a  river 
which  the  Indians  called  Chucagua,  the  largest  of  all  those 
encountered  by  our  people  in  Florida.  The  inhabitants  of  Chisca, 
unaware  of  the  coming  of  the  troops,  by  reason  of  the  war  which 

125 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

they  were  waging  with  their  neighbors,  were  taken  by  surprise. 
The  Spaniards  plundered  them  and  took  several  of  them  prison- 
ers. The  rest  of  them  fled,  some  into  a  forest  between  the  village 
and  the  river,  and  others  to  the  house  of  the  cacique,  which 
stood  upon  a  high  mound  commanding  a  view  of  the  whole  place. 
The  cacique  was  old,  and  then  sick  upon  his  bed,  in  a  condition 
of  great  weakness.  He  was  of  such  small  stature  and  of  such 
meagre  visage  that  in  that  country  the  like  had  never  been 
seen.  Nevertheless,  at  the  sound  of  the  alarm  and  being  sur- 
prised that  his  subjects  were  being  plundered  and  being  taken 
prisoners,  he  arose,  walked  out  of  his  chamber  with  a  battle  axe 
in  his  hand  and  made  the  threat  that  he  would  slay  all  who 
might  enter  his  lands  without  his  leave.  But  as  he  was  about  to 
go  forth  from  his  house  to  confront  the  Spaniards,  the  women  of 
his  household,  aided  by  some  of  his  subjects  who  had  made 
their  escape  from  the  Spaniards,  restrained  him.  With  tears  in 
their  eyes  they  reminded  him  of  the  fact  that  he  was  feeble, 
without  men  at  arms,  his  vassals  in  disorder,  and  not  in  condition 
for  fighting  and  that  those  with  whom  he  had  to  do  were  vigorous, 
well  disciplined,  great  in  number  and,  for  the  most  part,  mounted 
upon  beasts  of  such  speed  that  none  could  ever  escape  them. 

"That  it  was  necessary  then  to  wait  a  favorable  occasion  for 
their  revenge  and  to  deceive  their  enemies  in  the  meantime  by 
fair  appearances  of  friendship,  thus  preventing  the  destruction 
of  himself  and  his  subjects. 

1  'These  considerations  caused  Chisca  to  pause,  but  he  was 
so  chagrined  by  the  injury  which  the  Spaniards  had  done  him, 
that,  instead  of  being  willing  to  listen  to  the  envoys  of  the  general 
in  their  demands  for  peace,  he  declared  war  upon  them,  adding 
that  he  hoped  within  a  short  while  to  cut  the  throat  of  their 
captain  and  all  those  with  him. 

"De  Soto,  however,  was  not  astonished  at  this,  but  sent 
others  and  they  made  excuses  for  the  disorder  created  upon  their 
arrival,  and  repeated  the  demand  for  peace. 

"For  it  was  clear  to  De  Soto  that  his  men  were  discouraged 
on  account  of  the  constant  skirmishing,  and  were  encumbered 
with  sick  men  and  sick  horses;  that  in  less  than  six  hours  there  had 
come  to  the  side  of  the  cacique  not  less  than  four  thousand  men, 
quite  well  equipped ;  that  in  all  probability  he  would  get  together 
a  very  much  larger  number;  besides,  that  the  lay  of  the  land  was 
very  favorable  to  the  Indians,  and  very  unfavorable  to  the  Spaniards, 

126 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

on  account  of  the  thicket  surrounding  the  town,  which  would  make  it 
impossible  to  use  his  cavalry;  that  finally,  instead  of  making 
progress  by  fighting,  the  Spaniards  were  working  their  own 
destruction  from  day  to  day.  These  were  the  considerations  which 
induced  the  general  to  offer  peace. 

"But  the  larger  part  of  the  Indians  who  were  assembled  to 
deliberate  upon  the  subject  had  quite  contrary  views.  Some 
were  for  war,  believing  that  to  be  the  only  means  of  recovering 
their  goods  and  delivering  their  companions  from  the  power  of 
the  Spaniards.  They  declared  that  there  need  be  no  fear  of  such 
people;  that  such  earnest  demands  for  peace  as  the  Spaniards 
made  afforded  certain  proof  of  their  cowardice;  finally,  that  it 
was  fitting  to  apprise  them  of  the  courage  of  those  whom  they 
had  just  attacked  by  giving  battle  in  turn,  to  the  end  that  no 
stranger  in  future  would  have  the  temerity  to  enter  their  domain. 
But  the  other  side  contended  that  peace  was  their  only  means 
of  getting  back  their  property  and  their  imprisoned  countrymen ; 
that  if  there  should  be  a  battle,  their  misery  would  only  be  in- 
creased by  reason  of  fire  and  the  loss  of  their  crops  (which  were 
still  unharvested),  resulting  in  ruin  to  the  entire  province  and 
the  death  of  many  of  their  people. 

"For  they  said  inasmuch  as  their  enemies  had  come  as  far  as 
their  country,  through  so  many  trials  and  perils  and  through  so 
many  fierce  tribes,  their  courage  could  not  be  fairly  doubted. 

"Thus  they  said  without  any  other  proofs,  peace  ought  to  be 
made,  and  that  if  they  were  afterwards  dissatisfied,  they  could 
break  the  truce  to  a  much  better  advantage  than  they  could  on 
that  day  make  war.  This  opinion  prevailed  and  the  cacique, 
dissembling  his  resentment,  asked  the  envoys  what  they  thought 
to  gain  by  peace,  which  they  seemed  to  desire  so  much.  They 
answered,  their  lodging  in  the  town,  together  with  supplies  for 
passing  on.  Chisca  agreed  to  all  on  condition  that  they  should 
set  at  liberty  those  of  his  subjects  whom  the  Spaniards  held 
prisoners,  return  all  the  goods  that  they  had  seized,  and  not 
enter  into  his  house;  and  he  warned  them  that  the  only  alter- 
native would  be  war  of  extermination. 

"The  Spaniards  accepted  peace  on  these  conditions  and 
released  the  subjects  of  Chisca,  for  they  had  no  lack  of  Indian 
servants,  and  returned  all  the  booty — consisting  only  of  some 
sorry  deerskins  and  clothing  of  small  value.  Thereupon  the 
inhabitants  abandoned  the  town  with  the  supplies  which  they 

127 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

had  and  the  Spaniards  remained  six  days,  treating  their  sick. 
On  the  last  day  De  Soto  got  leave  from  Chisca  to  visit  him  in  his 
house,  and  after  he  had  thanked  him  for  the  favor  done  his 
troops,  he  withdrew,  proceeding  the  next  day  upon  his  journey 
of  discovery." 

The  italics  are  mine,  and  designed  primarily  to  call  attention 
to  two  matters  which  attest  manifest  errors  on  the  part  of  the 
learned  historians  in  question. 

(i)  It  will  be  recalled  that  Professor  Lewis  stated  that  after 
the  expedition  left  the  Chickasaw  country,  it  turned  west,  not 
only  without  any  support  in  any  narrative  therefor  but  in  direct 
contradiction  to  Biedma,  who  says  it  went  to  the  northwest. 
And  now  we  see  that  Garcilaso  states  the  course  as  "bearing 
always  towards  the  north  (not  due  north),  in  order  to  get  further 
and  further  away  from  the  sea." 

(2)  It  will  be  recalled  also  that  the  Professor  quotes 
Garcilaso  as  saying  that  De  Soto  could  not  use  his  cavalry — 
"because  of  the  many  streams  around  there,  they  could  not  use  their 
horses";    whereas  we  now  see  that  what  he  really  said  was: 

"Besides,  that  the  lay  of  the  land  was  very  favorable  to  the 
Indians,  and  very  unfavorable  to  the  Spaniards,  on  account  of 
the  thicket  surrounding  the  town,  which  would  make  it  impossible  to 
use  his  cavalry." 

As  no  one  visited  the  Mississippi  River  after  the  De  Soto 
expedition,  for  a  period  of  132  years,  how  else  was  it  possible  for 
Garcilaso  to  obtain  the  information  that  a  mound  was  located 
on  the  Mississippi  where  its  discovery  was  made,  except  through 
members  of  that  expedition?  To  assume  that  his  narrative  was 
a  fiction  necessarily  concedes  also  that  the  author  had  more 
than  a  prophetic  vision,  or  a  prescience  unknown  to  the  children 
of  men. 

It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  ablest  historians  and 
the  public  at  large  have  long  since  accepted  the  Fourth  Chicka- 

128 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

saw  Bluff  as  the  point  of  the  discovery  of  the  great  Mississippi 
River. 

De  Soto  at  the  Mississippi— 

"High  on  a  bluff  they  stood ;  anear  its  base 
The  Mississippi  rolled  its  mighty  flood. 
The  lordly  river,  half  a  league  in  breadth, 
And  flowing  gently,  parted  in  two  streams 
Around  a  verdant  island  to  the  south. 
Titanic  in  his  grandeur,  yet  serene 
And  placid  with  a  godlike  majesty, 
The  King  of  Rivers  to  the  Christians'  hearts 
Brought  admiration,  awe,  and  reverence. 

"De  Soto  viewed  with  fascinated  eyes 

The  scene  before  him.   Into  his  troubled  soul 

There  came,  he  knew  not  why,  a  holy  calm ; 

A  deep  yet  tranquil  joy  surged  through  his  heart, 

As  with  a  great  thanksgiving  hymn  to  God. 

Faint  in  his  ears,  a  whisper  from  afar 

Assured  him  that  this  river  with  his  name 

Would  be  entwined  forever;  that  this  stream, 

More  stately  than  the  Danube  or  the  Nile, 

Would  be  the  artery,  in  a  distant  age, 

To  some  illustrious  empire,  more  august 

Than  that  which  centered  on  the  Tiber's  shore. 

Here  would  be  giant  cities,  splendid  halls, 

The  homes  of  Commerce,  Learning,  Wealth,  and  Power. 

Here  Art  and  Science  would  be  honored ;  here 

Would  be  the  haunts  of  Story  and  of  Song — 

Renowned  in  lays  of  poets  yet  to  be, — 

Surpassing  in  romantic  legendry 

The  dome-crowned  Arno  or  the  vine-clad  Rhine. 

He  called  it  The  River  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Long  after  all  his  men  had  sought  the  camp, 

Intent  on  little  tasks  that  closed  their  day, 

De  Soto,  silent,  mused  upon  the  banks 

Of  the  Great  River,  that,  with  sacrifice 

Of  toils  and  tears,  his  prowess  now  had  won. 

Recumbent  in  a  dim,  secluded  spot, 

129 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

As  in  a  sanctuary,  he  was  lulled 

Into  benign  repose.  Far  to  the  west, 

The  setting  sun  in  benediction  hung, 

And  burnished  heaving  waves  with  melted  gold ; 

Above  the  vast,  deep  western  wilderness 

He  paused,  then  sank,  and  left  the  quiet  world 

To  rest,  to  meditation  and  to  sleep. 

The  brilliant  gold  of  sunset  deepened  slow 

To  orange ;  then  the  fragile  floating  clouds 

Took  chastened  tints  of  faded  rose  and  pearl. 

The  chirp  of  crickets  beat  with  drowsy  notes ; 

The  cadence  of  cicadas,  like  a  dirge, 

Sighed  through  the  unillumined  forest  gloom ; 

The  requiems  of  lone  thrushes  pined  and  yearned 

At  rustic  altars  of  umbrageous  woods, — 

Soft  evensongs  at  gentle  evenfall 

For  euthanasia  of  departing  day. 

Through  haunts  sequestered  and  forsaken  stole 

The  sundown  shadows;  from  its  rich  maroon 

To  ashen  twilight  waned  the  afterglow. 

Soon  melancholy  purple  dimmed  the  skies, 

And  through  the  vesper  gloaming,  tremulous, 

The  fair-faced,  timid  stars  came  one  by  one. 

The  gray-winged  gulls  wheeled  slowly,  homewardbound. 

Then  solemn  Nightfall,  like  a  sibyl,  came, 

And  in  one  great  libation,  from  her  urn 

Outgushed  the  darkness  over  earth  and  heaven ; 

But  still  De  Soto  mused  beside  the  stream, 

Immovable — in  silence, — lost  in  thought." 

Walter  M alone, 

In  Hernando  De  Soto. 

De  Soto  Crosses  the  Mississippi— 

It  will  be  recalled  that  in  the  fifth  chapter  I  referred  to  the 
fact  that  after  Professor  Lewis  had,  in  his  imagination,  landed 
De  Soto  in  the  swamps  of  Arkansas,  opposite  some  imaginary 
point  in  Tunica  County,  Mississippi,  he  suggested  that  some 
prehistoric  earthquake  may  have  changed  the  face  of  the  earth 
in  that  vicinity. 

130 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

This  suggestion  was  the  offspring  of  necessity,  for  it  evidences 
the  fact  that  the  Professor  must  have  realized  all  too  well  that 
there  was  not  a  single  physical  feature  of  that  country  which 
would  dovetail  with  any  one  of  the  three  narratives  to  which  he 
gives  his  allegiance.  Hence  an  appeal  to  some  supposed  or  imag- 
inary cataclysm  in  nature  to  supply  the  want  of  solid  facts;  an 
appeal  which  makes  it  difficult  to  suppress  a  smile  of  incredulity. 

But,  however  this  may  be,  one  who  merely  searches  for  the 
real  place  at  which  the  Mississippi  was  discovered  by  De  Soto 
has  no  need  to  appeal  to  the  miraculous,  when  he  reads  the  three 
narratives  of  those  who  are  acclaimed  as  credible  witnesses,  to 
see.and  understand  that  the  discovery  was  made  where  Memphis 
is  now  enthroned.    What  are  the  undisputed  facts? 

We  have  seen  that  the  eastern  shores  of  the  river  where 
the  discovery  was  made  sustained  a  teeming  population  of 
aborigines,  and  that  the  physical  features  of  the  Chickasaw 
Bluffs,  with  its  splendid  hinterland,  afforded  almost  an  earthly 
paradise  or  happy  hunting  grounds  for  the  red  children  of  the 
forest.  And  so,  likewise,  the  opposite  or  western  shores  of  the 
Mississippi  supported  an  equally  large  aboriginal  population, 
and  we  have  only  to  consider  the  physical  features  of  the  western 
hinterland  to  observe  how  well  it  fits  in  with  the  three  narratives 
referred  to. 

Biedma  says  (p.  26) : 

"On  the  other  shore  we  saw  numbers  of  people  collected  to 
oppose  our  landing,  who  had  many  canoes.  We  set  about  building 
four  large  piraguas,  each  capable  of  taking  sixty  or  seventy  men 
and  five  or  six  horses.  We  were  engaged  in  this  work  twenty- 
seven  or  twenty-eight  days.  During  this  time,  the  Indians  every 
day,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  would  get  into  two  hundred 
and  fifty  very  large  canoes  they  had,  well  shielded,  and  come 
near  the  shores  on  which  we  were;  with  loud  cries  they  would 
exhaust  their  arrows  upon  us,  and  then  return  to  the  other  bank." 

Ranjel  (page  137)  estimated  the  number  of  Indians  on  the 
opposite  shore  to  oppose  the  passage  at  seven  thousand,  and  that 

131 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

all  of  them  had  shields  made  of  canes  joined,  so  strong  and 
closely  interwoven  with  such  thread  that  a  cross-bow  could 
hardly  pierce  them. 

The  Gentleman  of  Elvas  says  (page  113)  that  the  barge  in 
which  the  cacique  came  had  an  awning  at  the  poop  under 
which  he  sat;  and  there  from  under  the  canopy  where  the  chief 
man  was  the  course  was  directed  and  orders  issued  to  the  rest. 
They  were  painted  with  ochre,  wearing  great  bunches  of  white 
and  other  plumes  of  many  colors,  having  feathered  shields  in 
their  hands,  with  which  they  sheltered  the  oarsmen  on  either 
side,  the  warriors  standing  erect  from  bow  to  stern,  holding 
bows  and  arrows. 

He  added  they  were  fine  looking  men,  very  large  and  well 
formed ;  and  what  with  the  awnings,  the  plumes,  and  the  shields, 
the  pennons,  and  the  number  of  the  people  in  the  fleet,  it  ap- 
peared like  a  famous  armada  of  galleys. 

The  Country  Opposite  Memphis  Dovetails 
With  the  Narratives— 

With  such  a  large  population  and  splendid  types  of  Indians 
inhabiting  the  western  shores  of  the  river  where  De  Soto  crossed, 
what  should  we  expect  but  a  fine  country  fit  to  produce  and 
maintain  such  a  people?  Such  was  the  country  then  and  now 
opposite  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 

It  is  a  well  known  topographical  feature  of  this  section  of 
the  delta  that  there  was  an  almost  continuous  ridge  of  high  land, 
commencing  from  about  where  Mound  City  now  is,  and  running 
in  a  westward  direction  to  Crowley's  Ridge,  the  high  ground 
about  forty  miles  from  Memphis;  that  is,  the  delta  is  about  forty 
miles  wide  opposite  Memphis,  and  this  high  ground  an  almost 
continuous  way  across  the  Mississippi  delta,  with  some  occasional 
breaks  therein. 

Of  course,  there  were  breaks  in  the  ridge,  and  there  were 
occasional  lakes,  bayous,  and  some  rivers  to  cross,  but  there  was 
sufficiently  continuous  high  ground  or  ridges  as  to  make  it  of 

132 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

great  importance  to  all  who  wished  to  cross  the  delta,  and  this 
was  such  a  marked  feature  of  the  country  that  the  United  States 
made  it  available  before  the  day  of  railroads  for  the  construction 
of  a  military  road  over  which  to  transport  troops. 

Taking  advantage  of  this  feature  of  the  country,  the  United 
States  government  long  before  the  Civil  War  constructed  a 
military  road  from  the  vicinity  of  Mound  City,  Arkansas,  across 
the  bottoms  to  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  As  the  name  implies, 
there  were  Indian  mounds  at  the  site  of  that  ancient  village,  and 
the  mounds  gave  the  place  its  name,  and  they  are  there  today, 
silent  witnesses  to  the  fact  that  De  Soto  crossed  the  Mississippi 
where  Memphis  now  is. 

When  the  Chickasaw  Indians  were  moved  across  the  river  in 
the  thirties,  thousands  of  them  were  ferried  from  Memphis  to 
Mound  City,  under  the  supervision  of  Marcus  B.  Winchester, 
who  had  been  the  first  mayor  of  Memphis. 

There  they  commenced  to  cross  the  delta  on  their  long 
journey  to  their  new  home,  then  in  the  far  West.  There  was  a 
considerable  section  around  Mound  City  that  was  not  subject 
to  overflow,  and  in  the  early  days  there  was  a  settlement  and 
village  there,  for  it  was  then  a  rival  of  Memphis  for  the  supremacy 
of  the  valley.  The  Spaniards  fully  appreciated  and  well  under- 
stood the  value  of  such  high  land,  and  located  grants  around 
Mound  City  when  they  were  the  overlords  of  the  country.  It 
s  also  interesting  to  recall  that  only  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  north 
from  Mound  City  the  traveler  anciently  and  now  may  view  the 
beautiful  and  well  known  Wappanocca  Lake,  famous  for  its  un- 
rivaled fisheries,  and  myriads  of  ducks  and  waterfowls  of  all  kinds. 

It  has  an  outlet  leading  to  the  river,  called  Wappanocca 
Bayou,  while  another  outlet  leads  to  the  Tyronza  River.  These 
bayous  of  the  delta  bear  a  great  resemblance  to  canals,  and  these 
bayous  are  doubtless  what  the  De  Soto  narratives  called  canals 
leading  to  the  river  from  certain  lakes.  Indeed,  some  writers 
have  insisted  that  these  bayous  were  in  fact  canals  constructed 
by  some  prehistoric  people  for  the  drainage  of  the  country;  and 

133 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

I  have  heard  men  learnedly  argue  to  this  effect,  and  viewing  these 
bayous  as  they  appeared  years  ago,  I  could  but  feel  the  force  of 
their  arguments,  though  I  was  not  convinced  of  the  correctness 
of  the  theory. 

A  recent  map  of  Crittenden  County,  Arkansas,  before  me, 
prepared  by  the  Rhodes  Abstract  Company,  shows  the  country 
adjacent  to  Wappanocca  Bayou  and  Lake  plastered  over  with 
old  Spanish  grants ;  and  it  may  be  added  that  the  ground  there  is 
higher  and  the  Indian  mounds  more  numerous  than  at  Mound  City. 

It  may  be  also  added  that,  as  you  go  north  from  Crittenden 
County,  there  is  higher  ground,  and  that  Mississippi  County, 
lying  immediately  north  of  and  adjoining  Crittenden,  is  regarded 
by  many  as  the  best  county  in  the  delta,  owing  not  only  to  the 
fertility  of  its  soil,  but  to  its  rolling  and  well-drained  surface. 
Such  is  the  goodness  of  this  part  of  the  delta  that  Professor 
Lewis  in  his  article  finally  leads,  or  lands,  De  Soto  in  Miss- 
issippi County,  though  it  is  a  thing  to  me  incredible  that  he 
could  have  floundered  his  way  so  far  north  from  a  point  some- 
where opposite  Tunica  County,  Mississippi. 

Anciently,  and  as  we  all  know  until  within  recent  years,  in 
its  approach  towards  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  after  the  Mississippi 
passed  Mound  City,  its  direction  was  eastwardly,  and  op- 
posite the  northern  section  of  the  Bluffs  it  turned  abruptly 
southward  around  Hopefield  Point.  From  the  window  of  my 
office  on  the  eleventh  floor  of  the  Cotton  Exchange  Building, 
facing  Court  Square,  I  can  almost  see  the  location  of  old  Mound 
City.  For  many  years  the  river  has  been  gradually  shifting  its 
bed  eastward  at  and  beyond  Mound  City,  and  within  the  last 
two  or  three  years  it  has  cut  a  new  channel,  running  almost  south, 
by  the  old  Hen  and  Chicken  Islands  just  north  of  Memphis,  and 
leaving  Mound  City  far  from  the  main  channel  of  the  river. 


With    these    unquestioned    topographical    features   of    the 
western  country  across  the  Mississippi  from  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs 


134 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

before  us,  can  any  reasonable  man  doubt  that  De  Soto  was 
ignorant  thereof,  or  failed  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  lay  of  the 
land,  when  ignorance  in  respect  thereto  might  lead  to  the  de- 
struction of  every  man  in  the  expedition? 

What  do  the  narratives  disclose  as  to  the  route  that  was 
taken  and  the  character  of  the  country  beyond  the  Mississippi? 

The  river  was  high,  bringing  down  many  trees  with  its  cur- 
rents, the  Gentleman  of  Elvas  (p.  115)  stating  that  the  river 
was  near  a  half  league  wide;  adding  that  a  man  standing  on  the 
shore  could  not  be  told  whether  he  was  a  man  or  something  else, 
from  the  other  side.  The  stream  was  swift  and  very  deep, 
always  flowing  turbidly,  bringing  down  from  above  much  timber 
driven  by  the  force  of  the  current. 

Biedma  says  (p.  26)  that  the  river  was  near  a  league  wide, 
and  nineteen  or  twenty  fathoms  deep. 

On  account  of  the  swiftness  of  the  current,  Elvas  says  that 
they  went  up  along  the  river  about  a  quarter  of  a  league,  and 
landed  about  opposite  the  camps,  and  from  this  statement  I 
suppose  the  landing  place  was  about  Hopefield  Point.  Having 
located  De  Soto  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  how  far  did  he  have 
to  travel  to  reach  the  Indian  mounds,  now  the  location  of  Mound 
City? 

The  Gentleman  of  Elvas  (p.  116)  says: 

"The  Rio  Grande  being  crossed,  the  governor  marched  a 
league  and  a  half  to  a  large  town  of  Aquixo,  which  was  abandoned 
before  his  arrival.  Over  a  plain  thirty  Indians  were  seen  to  draw 
nigh,  sent  by  the  cacique,  to  discover  what  the  Christians  in- 
tended to  do,  but  who  fled  directly  as  they  saw  them.  The 
cavalry  pursued,  killed  ten,  and  captured  fifteen.  As  the  town 
toward  which  the  governor  marched  was  near  the  river,  he  sent  a 
captain,  with  the  force  he  thought  sufficient,  to  take  the  piraguas 
up  the  stream.  These,  as  they  frequently  wound  about  through 
the  country,  having  to  go  round  the  bays  that  swell  out  the  river, 
the  Indians  had  opportunity  to  attack  those  in  the  piraguas, 
placing  them  in  great  peril,  being  shot  at  with  bows  from  the 
ravines,  while  they  dared  not  leave  the  shore,  because  of  the 

135 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

swiftness  of  the  current;  so  that,  as  soon  as  the  governor  got  to 
the  town,  he  directly  sent  cross-bow  men  to  them  down  the 
stream  for  their  protection.  When  the  piraguas  arrived,  he 
ordered  them  to  be  taken  to  pieces,  and  the  spikes  kept  for 
making  others  when  they  should  be  needed." 

Anyone  familiar  with  the  country  will  unhesitatingly 
state  that  the  Indian  mounds  adjacent  to  Mound  City  are 
about  four  to  five  miles  from  Hopefield  Point,  and  any  properly 
scaled  map  will  show  the  same  distance,  and  thus  we  have  a 
verification  of  the  estimate  made  by  Elvas  that  it  was  a  league 
and  a  half  from  the  landing  place  to  the  first  Indian  village 
reached  in  the  Province  of  Aquixo. 

Biedma  says  (pp.  27,  28),  with  respect  to  customs  of  the 
Indians  across  the  river: 

"Arriving  there  as  it  is  the  custom  of  the  caciques  to  have  near 
their  houses  a  high  hill,  made  by  hand,  some  having  houses  placed 
thereon,  we  set  up  the  cross  on  the  summit,  and  we  all  went  on 
bended  knees,  with  great  humility,  to  kiss  the  foot  of  the  cross. 
The  Indians  did  the  same  as  they  saw  us  do,  nor  more,  nor  less; 
then  directly  they  brought  a  great  quantity  of  cane,  making  a 
fence  about  it,  and  we  returned  that  night  to  our  camp." 

From  the  context,  I  think  this  took  place  in  Casqui. 

Who  can  doubt  that  the  first  village  reached  by  De  Soto 
across  the  river  in  the  province  of  Aquixo  stood  where  the  Indian 
mounds  at  the  ancient  village  of  Mound  City  now  rear  their 
worn  proportions  above  the  surrounding  plain,  mute  witnesses 
to  the  verity  of  the  De  Soto  narratives,  and  which  have  stood 
there  from  that  time  "whereof  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not 
to  the  contrary?" 

From  the  province  of  Aquixo,  De  Soto  next  visited  the 
provinces  of  Casqui  and  Pacaha,  and  speaking  of  these  Ranjel 
(p.  140)  says: 

"In  Aquixo  and  Casqui  and  Pacaha,  they  saw  the  best 
villages  seen  up  to  that  time,  better  stockaded  and  fortified,  and 

136 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  people  were  of  finer  quality,  excepting  those  of  Cofitachequi. 
The  commander  and  the  soldiers  remaining  some  days  in  Pacaha, 
they  made  some  incursions  further  up  country." 

From  these  statements  we  learn  two  things,  that  the  country 
possessed  the  capabilities  of  producing  the  numerous  and  fine 
specimens  of  aborigines  who  were  menacing  the  expedition 
while  camped  on  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs;  and  that  De  Soto  here» 
as  was  the  case  long  before  he  reached  the  Mississippi,  made 
"incursions"  or  side  trips,  and  did  not  follow  continuously  in 
any  one  given  direction. 

It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  the  De  Soto 
expedition,  unless  that  path  crosses  some  great  and  imperishable 
landmark  like  the  Mississippi  River,  or  describes  or  refers  to 
such  commanding  topographical  and  indestructible  features  of 
the  country  through  which  it  passed  as  to  fix  the  route  pursued 
with  reasonable  certainty. 

That  De  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi  River  on  the  Fourth 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Memphis,  I 
submit  appears  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt. 


137 


CHAPTER  VII 

WHERE  THE  MISSISSIPPI  WAS  CROSSED,  CONTINUED;  AND  OF 
THE  DE  SOTO  MEMORIAL  AT  MEMPHIS 

The  foregoing  six  chapters  were  published  almost  at  the 
last  moment  prior  to  the  Memphis  Centenary  in  May,  1919, 
and  as  a  souvenir  thereof.  I  had  at  that  time  no  intention  of 
adding  anything  more  with  respect  to  where  the  Mississippi 
was  discovered  by  De  Soto,  but,  somewhat  to  my  surprise,  the 
general  impression  seemed  to  be  that  my  main  purpose  in 
The  Chickasaw  Nation  was  to  prove  that  De  Soto  discovered  the 
Mississippi  at  the  present  site  of  Memphis.  John  R.  Swanton, 
one  of  the  learned  doctors  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  wrote  me 
regretting  the  title  of  the  booklet,  because,  while  the  subject  of 
the  place  of  the  discovery  of  the  great  river  was  of  especial 
interest  to  scholars  and  students  of  history,  he  feared  they  would 
fail  to  see  the  booklet,  owing  to  its  title;  that  is,  they  would  be 
mislead  by  the  title.  But  I  am  too  much  imbued  with  the  duty 
of  paying  a  belated  tribute  to  the  original  Chickasaws  to  change 
the  title  of  this  little  book;  and,  moreover,  when  I  commenced  to 
write  on  the  place  where  the  river  was  discovered,  I  merely 
intended  to  write  a  short  newspaper  article  in  answer  to  my 
friend,  Dr.  Rowland;  but  the  matter  grew  to  such  proportions 
that  I  concluded  to  incorporate  it  with  some  previous  fragmen- 
tary sketches  on  the  Chickasaws;  hence  the  appearance  of  the 
souvenir. 

Nor  have  I,  upon  reflection,  the  least  inclination  to  change 
the  title,  believing  that  the  name  and  fame  of  De  Soto,  the 
discoverer  of  the  Mississippi,  are  inseparably  wrapped  up  with 
that  of  the  intrepid  Chickasaws,  who  controlled  its  shores  and 
those  of  the  Ohio  for  a  distance  of  some  two  thousand  miles; 

138 


The  Chickasaw  Nation  LJ^ 

and  because  what  is  here  set  down  is  as  much  for  my  own  di- 
version as  otherwise. 

I  am  well  aware  that  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff  was  not 
at  its  discovery  in  the  possession  of  the  Chickasaws,  for  it  was  a 
prize  of  such  strategic  importance  that,  from  time  to  time,  it 
changed  hands;  and  as  noted  hereinbefore,  a  part  of  the  Chicka- 
saws once  lived  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  near  Savannah, 
Georgia,  and  afterwards  at  the  Mussel  Shoals  in  North  Alabama; 
but  eventually,  with  the  aid  of  the  Cherokees,  they  swept  the 
Shawnees  and  all  Northern  tribes  from  south  of  the  Ohio  and  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  became  the  overlords  of  the  splendid 
domain  hereinbefore  described. 

The  Importance  of  the  Discovery  of  the  Mississippi  River- 
Living  upon  the  shores  of  this  great  river  we  often  lose 
sight  of  its  vast  importance  and  value;  not  only  for  the  means  of 
transportation  furnished  by  it  and  its  great  network  of  tribu- 
taries, and  the  inexhaustible  stores  of  food  sporting  beneath  its 
waves,  but  of  its  great  valley,  the  cream  jug  of  the  continent, 
and  capable  of  producing  more  for  the  sustenance  of  both  man  and 
beast  than  any  other  valley  upon  the  globe. 

Why  should  not  its  discovery  and  the  place  of  the  discovery 
be  of  worldwide  inte  rest? 

One  arm  of  the  Missouri  River,  the  great  affluent  and  main 
stem  of  the  Mississippi,  rises  in  the  far-away  Rocky  Moun- 
tains of  Wyoming,  in  the  Yellowstone  Lake  of  the  Yellowstone 
National  Park,  and  this  park  with  its  many  geysers,  lakes, 
rivers,  and  mountains  constitutes  a  wonderland  without  a 
replica  on  the  globe. 

The  other  great  arm  of  the  Missouri,  the  Milk  River,  arises 
in  northwest  Montana,  in  the  shadow  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
in  Glacier  National  Park,  the  child  of  the  everlasting  glaciers, 
and  after  flowing  across  the  boundary  line  for  some  distance  in 
British  Columbia,  returns  to  the  United  States  and  finally  finds 
its  way  to  the  great  Mississippi,  and  rolls  with  its  billows  ever 

139 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

onward  and  southward,  passing  Memphis,  until  finally  it  reaches 
the  Mexican  Gulf,  and  there  flings  its  fond  heart  into  the  ocean, 
the  great  mother  of  all  waters.  The  headwaters  of  the  Milk 
River  constitute  the  real  source  of  the  great  Mississippi,  there 
being  a  continuously  flowing  stream  from  this  source,  8,000  feet 
above  the  sea,  to  the  Mexican  Gulf,  a  distance  of  4,221  miles, 
making  it  the  longest  river  in  the  world. 

Another  stem  of  the  Mississippi  has  its  origin  in  Lake 
Hernando  De  Soto,  Minnesota,  2,553  miles  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

We  are  accustomed  in  thinking  or  speaking  of  the  far  sources 
of  the  Mississippi  to  have  in  mind  only  the  western  sources 
mentioned ;  but  who  ever  thinks  of  its  eastern  sources,  or  reflects 
that  the  waters  of  the  beautiful  and  famous  Lake  Chautauqua, 
whose  northern  affluent  arises  only  eight  miles  from  the  waters 
of  Lake  Erie,  pours  through  its  southern  outlet,  the  Chadakoin 
River,  thence  into  the  Conewango,  the  Allegheny,  the  Ohio,  the 
Mississippi  and  finally  into  the  Mexican  Gulf  3,796  miles  from 
the  point  of  beginning? 

And  yet  this  is  true. 

This  was  the  well  known  route  which  the  Indians  traveled 
over,  from  what  is  now  Canada  to  the  far  shores  of  the  Mexican 
Gulf;  long  before  Columbus  reached  this  country;  and  as  it  was 
the  route  over  which  the  primitive  Chickasaws  traveled  in  their 
forays  into  the  far  North,  some  account  thereof  may  not  be  out  of 
place  here. 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  first  definite  mention  made  of 
Piomingo  is  that  he  was  on  the  Ohio  River  in  1770,  at  the  head 
of  a  company  of  Chickasaw  warriors,  on  his  way  to  chastise  the 
Seneca  Indians,  who  then  lived  in  what  is  now  western  New  York. 

I  am  indebted  to  Elwood  Lloyd  of  Memphis  and  formerly 
of  New  York,  for  a  copy  of  a  most  interesting  address  he  delivered 
before  the  Louisiana  Historical  Society  on  August  5,  191 6,  giving 
an  account  of  the  travels  of  Etienne  Brule,  in  whose  memory, 
at  the  solicitation  of  the  Chautauqua  Society  of  Natural  Science, 

140 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Lloyd  and  a  companion  made  a  canoe  voyage  from  Lake  Chau- 
tauqua to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  commencing  the  voyage  on 
November  23,  1915,  that  being  the  three  hundredth  anniversary 
of  Brule's  voyage  on  the  same  lake,  he  being  the  first  white  man 
to  navigate  its  waters. 

According  to  Lloyd,  when  Champlain  came  from  France  to 
Canada  and  founded  Quebec  in  1608,  Brule,  then  a  lad  of  sixteen 
years,  was  a  member  of  his  party;  after  being  left  as  a  hostage 
with  the  Huron  Indians,  he  learned  their  language,  assumed 
their  dress  and  became  a  subordinate  chief,  living  with  them 
for  years.  He  was  the  first  white  man  to  see  Lakes  Superior, 
Huron,  and  Erie;  and  in  1615  Champlain  sent  Brule  with  twelve 
Huron  warriors  in  two  canoes  to  the  country  of  the  Adastes, 
whose  home  was  then  in  what  is  now  northern  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The  route  taken  by  Brule  was  from  beautiful  Lake  Simcoe 
in  Canada,  across  Lake  Erie,  landing  at  what  is  now  known  as 
Barcelona  Harbor,  New  York;  then  a  portage  of  eight  miles  over 
the  hills  and  again  launching  into  the  waters  of  Lake  Chautauqua, 
thence  following  its  outlet  through  the  Chadakoin,  then  into  the 
Conewango,  the  Allegheny,  and  then,  as  Lloyd  verily  believes,  as 
far  south  on  the  Mississippi  as  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  if 
not  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
Brule  was  the  first  white  man  to  navigate  the  upper  waters  of 
these  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  and  Parkman  concluded  that  he 
went  as  far  south  as  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  which  was  by  no 
means  improbable. 

Lloyd's  license  to  navigate  the  Vagabond  is  probably  the 
only  one  of  its  kind  ever  issued,  and  leaving  out  the  formal 
caption  is  as  follows : 

"District  of  New  York, 
Port  of  Mayville. 
"These  are  to  certify  all  whom  it  doth  concern: 

"That  Elwood  Lloyd,  master  or  commander  of  the  Canoe 
Vagabond,  burden  100  pounds  or  thereabouts,  mounted  with  two 
repeating  guns,  navigated  with  Jolly  Folk,  American  built,  and 

141 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

bound  for  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  via  Lake  Chautauqua, 
Chadakoin,  Conewango,  Alleghany,  Ohio,  Mississippi  Rivers, 
having  on  board  joy  potentialities,  good  cheer,  happiness,  con- 
tentment, and  sundry  articles  needed  in  the  pursuit  of  real  life 
in  the  open — also  a  thorough  appreciation  of  the  nature,  harmony 
and  the  worth  of  our  fellow-men  with  whom  the  cruise  shall 
bring  us  in  contact.  Hath  here  entered  and  cleared  his  said 
vessel,  according  to  law.  Given  under  our  hands  and  seals,  at 
the  City  Hall  of  Mayville,  New  York,  this  twelfth  day  of 
November,  one  thousand  nine  hundred  fifteen,  and  in  the  one 
hundred  thirty-ninth  year  of  the  independence  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 

Lewis  M.  Smith,  W.  S.  Patterson, 

City  Clerk.  Mayor  of  Mayville." 

I  think  Lloyd  is  entirely  correct  in  saying : 

"This  ancient  route  of  Lake  Chautauqua  was  known  and 
used  by  the  Indians  for  a  period  before  the  coming  of  the  French 
to  America.  It  is  referred  to  on  Captain  John  Smith's  map  of 
Virginia  of  1 612  (by  inference)  from  data  obtained  four  or  five 
years  before;  also  in  his  General  History  of  Virginia,  1642,  from 
the  same  early  information.  And  in  1610,  Lescarbot,  in  his 
La  Nauvelle  France  also  mentions  this  great  circuit  made  for  the 
purposes  of  trade.  From  Butterfield.  (Appendix  XII,  also  page 
76,  Note  1)." 

I  give  these  details  as  to  this  great  prehistoric  route  so 
frequently  traveled  by  all  the  Indians,  including  the  Chicka- 
saws,  for  men  have  looked  at  me  with  incredulity  when  I  referred 
to  the  Chickasaws  taking  this  and  like  long  journeys  by  land, 
for  they  were  almost  amphibious,  swimming  like  ducks,  and  on 
land  they  could  travel  far  faster  than  the  best  rider  on  the  best 
horse,  covering  several  hundred  miles  on  a  single  run,  as  we  will 
see  further  on. 

Their  near  and  numerous  kinsmen  to  the  south,  the  Choc- 
taws,  could  not  swim,  nor  did  they  take  kindly  to  the  water  or 
go  to  war  with  distant  tribes;  but  they  would  fight  like  lions  when 
their  country  was  invaded;  and  it  is  almost  ludicrous  to  read  of 

142 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

an  invading  foe  when  defeated  by  the  Choctaws  fleeing  to  the 
nearest  river,  because  they  knew  the  Choctaws  could  not  swim, 
and  must  perforce  halt  on  the  river  banks. 

It  is  believed  that  Lloyd  is  the  only  white  man  who  ever 
made  a  continuous  canoe  trip  from  Lake  Chautauqua  to  the 
Mexican  Gulf,  and  he  computed  the  distance  covered  by  his 
canoe,  christened  Vagabond,  at  3,796  miles,  explaining  that  he 
was  unable  to  travel  the  same  course  followed  by  steamboats  in 
navigable  waters,  which  made  his  canoe  course  somewhat 
longer,  though  he  computed  each  day  the  distance  traveled,  and 
entered  it  in  the  ship's  log  at  night  before  retiring. 

I  will  note  parenthetically  that  Lloyd's  character  and 
experiences  are  unique,  and  coupled  with  a  pleasing  personality, 
render  him  extremely  companionable.  His  father  was  from  Wales, 
his  mother  from  Scotland,  and  while  on  a  visit  to  Canada,  she 
crossed  the  border  into  Michigan,  where  Lloyd  was  born.  His 
parents  took  him  to  East  India  when  he  was  four  years  old,  his 
father  being  in  the  English  diplomatic  service,  and  there  he 
remained  until  he  was  fifteen.  He  later  became  special  corre- 
spondent for  the  London  News  traveling  through  Japan,  China, 
and  other  oriental  countries;  also  through  Australia,  New  Zeal- 
and, the  Fiji  Island,  and  South  America,  and  spent  many  months 
living  with  and  among  the  Hopi  and  Navajo  Indians  on  our 
Western  plains,  and  when  the  world-war  broke  out,  he  was  in  the 
South  Pacific  Islands,  and  coming  to  Memphis  on  his  way  to 
navigate  some  Arkansas  affluents  of  the  Mississippi,  he  met  his 
destiny  in  the  person  of  Miss  Anna  Mary  Marshall,  a  charming 
girl,  married  and  settled  down  at  the  Memphis  suburb,  Neshoba, 
a  beautiful  Chickasaw  word  which  means  wolf  in  English. 


Let  us  return  to  the  Mississippi   River.    ~V* 

This  lordly  river  flows  through  belts  of  barley,  flax,  wheat, 
corn,  cotton,  sugar,  and  oranges,  and  with  its  tributaries  affords 
sixteen  thousand  miles  of  navigable  water,  and  its  basin  is  capable 
of  supporting  a  population  of  two  hundred  millions,  or  twice  the 

143 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

present  population  of  the  entire  United  States.  Its  valley  has 
been  called  the  trough  of  the  continent.  The  south  wind  sweep- 
ing up  from  the  tropical  waters  of  the  Mexican  Gulf  mingle  with 
others  coming  from  toward  the  Pacific,  and  together  they  course 
northward  to  precipitate  their  waters,  not  only  to  create  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi  but  the  headwaters  of  the  Red  River 
of  the  North  and  the  Saskatchewan  flowing  into  far-away  Hudson 
Bay,  as  well  as  those  of  the  great  McKenzie  River,  which  empties 
into  the  frozen  sea  of  Arctic  North  America.  The  average  alti- 
tude of  this  vast  sweep  of  country  is  not  great  and  combined  with 
the  generous  rainfall  referred  to  makes  it  a  fairly  tillable  country 
up  to  near  the  arctic  circle.  The  Mississippi  Valley  has  no 
equal  or  counterpart  upon  the  globe;  and  it  and  the  lordly 
Mississippi  River  flowing  therethrough  form  a  combination  that 
challenges  admiration. 

And  it  is  worthy  to  be  remembered  that  the  great  river  was 
discovered  by  De  Soto  in  1541,  or  seventy-nine  years  before  the 
Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth,  and  sixty-six  years  before  the 
settlement  of  Jamestown,  Virginia,  the  first  permanent  English 
settlement  in  America. 

And  likewise  it  should  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
Chickasaws,  in  their  cypress  bark  canoes,  commanded  the 
navigation  of  the  great  river  for  some  two  thousand  miles,  which 
of  itself  gave  them  a  mastery  not  only  of  their  own  country  but 
far  beyond  the  limits  thereof. 

The  Great  Abundance  of  Fish  Taken  Points  to  the  Place  of 
Discovery- 
All  of  the  De  Soto  narratives  call  attention  to  the  vast 
number  of  fishes  taken  by  the  natives  in  waters  adjacent  to  their 
villages  and  near  the  river  and  some  connected  therewith,  one 
being  called  an  estuary. 

Elvas  and  Ranjel  are  in  conflict  as  to  the  dates  of  the  cross- 
ing and  the  villages  reached  across  the  river.  While  Ranjel 
states  that  the  river  was  crossed  June  8,  Bourne  (note  2,  p.  138) 

144 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

says  the  date  should  be  June  18.  However  this  may  be,  we  know 
that  there  is  a  lake  adjacent  to  Mound  City,  the  first  village 
reached  as  I  insist,  and  it  is  a  well  known  topographical  feature 
of  this  country  that  the  highest  land  lay  on  the  borders  of  these 
lakes,  and  on  these  the  mounds  were  built.  As  soon  as  the  river 
was  crossed,  the  narratives  speak  of  presents  of  fish  made  the 
expedition,  and  the  vast  number  taken,  Elvas  (p.  123)  saying 
that  however  great  the  number  taken,  "there  never  was  any  lack 
of  them." 

He  then  describes  such  fish  as  he  said  were  not  to  be  found 
in  Spain;  and  in  the  description  of  one,  the  fish  he  said  was  called 
"bagre,"  weighing  from  100  to  150  pounds,  we  readily  recognize 
the  great  Mississippi  catfish,  and  in  the  smaller  the  delicious 
channel  catfish;  in  the  one  he  calls  "peel-fish"  he  describes  with 
accuracy  the  great  Southern  or  blue  sturgeon,  which,  until  re- 
cently, in  our  ignorance  we  called  the  shovelbill  cat  and  fed  to 
the  hogs  as  worthless.  This  fish  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  valuable  fishes  in  America;  from  its  eggs  caviar  is  made, 
rivaling  the  famous  Russian  caviar,  and  has  sold  for  $3.00  per 
pound,  one  fish  sometimes  producing  thirty  pounds.  When  the 
meat  of  this  fish  is  smoked,  it  readily  sells  in  Eastern  markets  at 
sixty  to  seventy  cents  per  pound,  and  is  in  much  request. 

In  still  another  fish  described  by  Elvas,  but  not  named,  we 
readily  recognize  the  great  Mississippi  alligator  gar,  or  more 
properly  called  the  gar  pike,  which  he  correctly  described  as  being 
the  size  of  a  hog  and  having  teeth. 

There  are  two  other  native  varieties  of  sturgeon,  one  the 
rubber  nose,  usually  weighing  when  dressed  from  seven  to  twenty- 
two  pounds;  but  there  was  shown  to  me  by  H.  J.  Conrad  in 
Memphis  in  the  spring  of  1918,  one  five  feet  long  which  weighed 
when  dressed  150  pounds;  and  there  hung  by  its  side  a  great 
Mississippi  gar  pike  which  weighed  up  to  250  pounds,  the  most 
voracious  fish  that  swims  our  waters,  and  justly  termed  the  wolf 
of  our  rivers  and  lakes.  The  other  sturgeon  is  called  the  hack- 
leback  and  weighs  from  three  to  five  pounds,  and  is  a  most  ex- 

145 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

cellent  fish.  Many  other  fish  are  to  be  found  in  these  waters, 
such  as  the  delicious  salmon  trout,  bass,  croppie  or  speckle  perch, 
bream,  sun  fish,  buffalo,  etc. 

But  there  are  other  foods  in  our  Southern  waters  besides 
fish,  and  among  these  may  be  mentioned  loggerhead  and  moss- 
back  snapping  turtles,  the  dressed  meat  of  which  sells  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  cents  per  pound.  Then  there  are  several 
varieties  of  the  terrapin  family  taken  in  our  waters,  such  as 
juniatas,  mobilianers,  sliders,  cooters,  etc.,  and  these  are  practi- 
cally all  shipped  west  to  Oregon  and  California,  or  to  New  York, 
Chicago,  and  other  Eastern  markets,  where  they  command 
ready  sales  at  high  prices  as  substitutes  for  the  celebrated  dia- 
mond back  terrapins  of  Chesapeake  Bay. 

Where  was  the  De  Soto  expedition  when  it  reached  this 
piscatorial  paradise,  if  not  on  the  banks  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Wapanocca,  Hatchie  Coon,  Blackfish  and  adjoining  waters, 
some  of  these  emptying  into  the  upper  reaches  of  the  St.  Francis 
River,  and  altogether  making  such  a  network  of  fishing  and  game 
preserves  as  were  without  a  rival  in  Arkansas  or  elsewhere? 

Where  is  there  a  real  sportsman,  or  any  man  within  a  thou- 
sand miles  of  Memphis,  who  ever  wet  a  line  or  shouldered  a  gun, 
and  who  has  not  heard  of  these  famous  fishing  waters,  which  are 
covered  as  soon  as  the  snow  flies  with  myriads  of  ducks  and  all 
the  water  fowls  so  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  sportsman? 

These  lakes  begin  in  the  upper  part  of  Crittenden  County 
(which  is  opposite  Memphis),  extending  thence  northward,  all 
in  easy  reach. 

As  might  be  expected,  their  attractiveness  made  of  them 
prizes  which  were  eagerly  sought,  and  they  were  acquired  by 
hunting  and  shooting  clubs  whose  members  came  for  hundreds 
and  even  thousands  of  miles  to  enjoy  the  rare  sport  there  to  be 
had.  Many  of  these,  in  fact  the  most  of  them,  being  non-resi- 
dents of  Arkansas,  served  to  engender  strife  between  the  care- 
takers of  these  clubs  and  residents  in  their  vicinity;  which  led  in 
some  instances  to  bloody  conflicts ;  and  then  the  state  legislature 

146 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

took  a  hand,  enacting  statutes  designed  to  bar  out  non-residents 
from  these  preserves,  the  constitutionality  of  which  was  assailed  in 
the  courts  through  a  series  of  years,  finally  reaching  the  State  and 
Federal  Supreme  Courts. 


All  agree  that  at  the  date  the  river  was  crossed,  it  was  at 
flood  tide,  which  was  not  unusual  at  that  season  of  the  year. 
Judge  J.  P.  Young  states  as  a  fact,  from  a  lifetime  of  experience 
and  observation,  that  in  olden  times,  before  the  era  of  the 
Mississippi  levees,  when  the  river  was  in  flood  opposite  Memphis, 
the  lower  Arkansas  delta  north  of  Helena  and  opposite  Tunica 
County,  Mississippi,  would  be  so  inundated  as  to  have  made  it  an 
impossibility  for  De  Soto,  had  he  been  alone,  much  less  with  his 
army,  to  have  marched  through  it  or  up  it,  unless  they  were 
amphibious  and  could  swim  like  fish. 

At  such  a  flood  time  the  Arkansas  delta  north  of  Memphis 
must  have  been  bad  enough  for  travel,  Ranjel  (p.  138)  saying  it 
was  the  worst  encountered  in  all  Florida;  but  to  the  south  of 
Memphis  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  moved  the  army 
of  De  Soto  on  either  side  of  the  river. 

Lusher's  Map  as  Reproduced  by  J.  Paul  Gaines— 

In  Chapters  IV  and  V  Lusher's  map  is  referred  to,  and  my 
opinion  as  to  maps  in  general  is  expressed,  while  Lusher's  map  is 
commended  for  accuracy  and  its  history  given. 

At  the  time  those  pages  were  written  J.  Paul  Gaines,  a  very 
capable  civil  engineer,  had  charge  of  public  works  in  the  way  of 
road  construction  and  drainage  projects  of  considerable  magni- 
tude in  the  country  adjacent  to  Pontotoc,  Mississippi;  and  read 
what  I  had  written  with  respect  to  the  topography  of  the  country 
under  review.  Being  pleased  with  what  he  read,  he  called  to  see 
me,  saying  that  the  descriptions  given  were  accurate  to  a  sur- 
prising degree;  but  that  in  order  for  the  non-professional  man  and 
people  unacquainted  with   the  topography  of  the  country  to 

147 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

grasp  the  situation,  Lusher's  map  should  be  so  redrafted  as  to 
bring  into  plain  view  the  trend  and  direction  of  the  Indian 
trails,  which,  taken  in  connection  with  the  natural  drainage  of 
the  country,  would  furnish  an  object  lesson  easily  understood,  and 
he  proffered  to  redraw  the  map  as  indicated,  as  his  contribution 
to  a  clear  understanding  of  the  situation.  I  gladly  accepted  his 
offer,  and  he  redrew  the  map  precisely  as  the  original,  with  the 
exceptions  that  he  left  out  the  section  lines,  and  showed  the 
location  of  the  counties  created  in  the  Chickasaw  cession  since 
the  map  was  made  in  1835,  and  indicated  the  Indian  trails  by 
heavier  lines  than  in  the  original,  so  as  to  bring  them  into  plain 
view,  but  not  otherwise  altering  them  in  any  respect  whatever. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  map  small  enough  not  to  encumber  this 
volume,  the  redraft  was  necessarily  reduced  in  making  a  cut 
thereof;  the  map  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  this  volume,  for 
careful  examination.  In  indicating  the  boundaries  of  the  new 
counties,  Mr.  Gaines  drew  some  of  the  county  lines  rather  large 
in  yellow,  which,  when  reproduced,  gives  a  black  appearance;  but 
as  these  lines  usually  run  at  right  angles,  whereas  the  Indian 
trails  are  continuous  straight  or  curved  lines,  they  can  be  easily 
distinguished. 

In  the  process  of  reduction  some  of  the  names  of  rivers  and 
places  are  very  faint,  but  they  can  be  easily  read  with  an  ordi- 
nary magnifying  glass. 

Before  I  knew  of  the  existence  of  Lusher's  map,  I  had  de- 
scribed the  three  Indian  trails  leading  from  the  vicinity  of 
Pontotoc  to  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff. 

The  topography  of  the  country  indicated  that  these  well 
known  trails  had  been  in  existence  from  time  immemorial,  and 
this  was  the  foundation  upon  which  I  grounded  my  opinion  as 
to  the  route  taken  by  De  Soto.  It  was  gratifying,  when,  almost 
by  chance,  my  attention  was  called  to  Lusher's  map,  which  cor- 
roborated in  every  particular  my  prior  statements  with  reference  to 
these  well  known  Indian  trails,  and  attention  is  now  called  to 
this  map  at  the  back  of  this  volume.     Lusher  did  not  name  a 

148 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

single  Indian  trail.  I  will  now  call  attention  to  the  three  Indian 
trails  in  question  as  they  appear  on  the  map. 

(i)  The  most  westerly  trail,  leading  from  the  vicinity  of 
Pontotoc  to  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff,  is  the  shortest  trail, 
used  in  great  emergencies  or  under  unfavorable  traveling  con- 
ditions. 

This  I  have  designated  and  described  as  the  short-cut  trail; 
and  leading  out  from  Memphis  it  is  almost  coterminous  with  the 
present  Pigeon  Roost  Road,  and  almost  parallel  with  the  Frisco 
Railroad  track,  indicating  that  the  Indians  well  understood  how 
to  select  the  best  road  between  two  distant  termini. 

(2)  The  next  trail  to  the  northeast  of  the  one  just  referred 
to  is  what  I  have  designated  and  described  as  the  intermediate 
trail,  leading  out  from  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff,  on  top  of 
what  is  locally  called  Poplar  Ridge,  practically  coterminous  with 
the  present  Poplar  Boulevard,  out  to  Collierville,  Tennessee,  and 
parallel  with  the  Southern  Railroad  track.  At  Collierville  it 
curves  more  southward,  and  thence  onward  it  threads  in  between 
the  headwaters  of  Wolf  River  and  Nonconnah,  and  further  on 
those  of  Coldwater,  and  joins  the  next  trail  to  be  described  in  the 
present  Union  County,  Mississippi. 

(3)  The  third  trail  I  have  described  and  designated  as  the 
all-the-year-around  trail,  leading  north  from  Pontotoc  and  its 
vicinity,  forking  with  the  intermediate  trail  in  the  present  Union 
County,  and  threading  its  way  on  top  of  the  well  known  Pontotoc 
Ridge  between  the  headwaters  of  the  streams  flowing  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  on  the  east  and  those  flowing  into  the  Mississippi 
on  the  west.  Shortly  after  entering  Tennessee  the  trail  trends 
westerly,  and  soon  intersects  near  the  present  Lagrange,  Tennes- 
see, another  trail  running  north,  which  terminates  abruptly, 
because  Lusher  was  only  mapping  the  Chickasaw  Cession,  and, 
of  course,  this  did  not  extend  into  Tennessee.  But  it  is  well 
known  that  this  trail  ran  northward  to  approximately  where  the 
present  town  of  Bolivar,  Tennessee,  now  is,  and  that  it  then 
turned  westward,  running  along  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  of 

149 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Wolf  River  from  those  of  Hatchie  River,  and  crossing  Wolf  near 
the  present  city  of  Memphis,  where  the  high  land  comes  down  to 
the  edge  of  the  water. 

Although  this  was  the  longest  of  the  three  trails,  being  about 
1 60  miles  in  length,  still  as  it  led  over  the  height  of  land,  or  the 
top  of  ridges  dividing  the  waters  of  various  streams,  it  could  be 
passed  over  almost  dry  shod  at  any  season  of  the  year ;  hence  the 
designation  I  have  given  it. 


Having  called  attention  to  the  three  trails  leading  to  the 
Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff,  attention  is  now  called  to  the  fact  that 
there  is  not  a  single  Indian  trail  leading  west  from  the  vicinity  of 
Pontotoc  to  the  Mississippi  River  in  Tunica  County  or  elsewhere. 

As  pointed  out  heretofore,  the  only  trail  leading  westward  to 
the  river  is  the  dotted  line,  marked  Helena  Trace,  having  one 
western  terminus  at  Helena,  Arkansas,  and  another  a  little  above 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  at  a  place  marked  "Mrs.  Mc- 
Kinney."  These  two  dotted  lines  soon  converge  and  meet,  and 
trending  eastward  join  the  Indian  trail  just  above  Chulahoma 
and  disappear.  It  is  the  only  dotted  trace  on  the  map,  and  the 
only  one  having  a  name  given  it,  and  for  reasons  given  herein- 
before is  not  an  Indian  trail,  but  that  of  the  white  man  and,  of 
course,  of  recent  years. 

There  are  other  things  shown  on  this  map  which  emphasize 
the  fact  that  there  were  no  Indian  trails  leading  through  the 
swamps  and  morasses  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  among  them  at- 
tention is  called  to  the  abrupt  termination  of  the  Indian  trail  run- 
ing  south  from  Panola  County  to  Nelson's  Bluff  on  the  Talla- 
hatchie River,  where  it  comes  to  an  abrupt  termination.  Why 
this  abrupt  termination?  Evidently  the  hill  land  terminated  at 
this  bluff,  and  that  automatically  worked  a  termination  of  the 
trails. 

I  doubt  not  that  as  the  Chickasaws  were  at  home  on  the 
bosom  of  any  stream,  and  as  we  well  know  they  commanded 

150 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

navigation  on  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries,  where  these 
waters  formed  the  boundaries  of  their  country,  we  may  safely 
assume  that  when  they  had  occasion  to  go  upon  the  broad  waters 
of  the  Mississippi  in  a  westerly  direction,  they  went  to  it  in  their 
water  craft,  upon  the  waters  emptying  into  the  Mississippi. 

So  likewise  we  observe  on  this  map  lower  down  that  some 
three  separate  trails  running  southward  converge  and  unite  not 
far  north  of  Grenada,  and  after  turning  west,  abruptly  terminate 
on  the  banks  of  the  Yallobusha  River.  Mr.  Gaines  informs  me 
that  this  point  marks  the  termination  of  the  hill  land  and  the 
commencement  of  the  low,  swampy  country.  Can  any  one 
doubt  that  this  overland  Indian  trail  abruptly  terminated  here, 
because  at  this  point,  where  the  Mississippi  swamps  began,  the 
Indians  embarked  in  their  water  craft  as  the  only  feasible  manner 
or  way  in  which  to  reach  the  Mississippi? 

While  in  his  wanderings  the  narrative  of  the  De  Soto  ex- 
pedition often  speaks  of  occasions  when  De  Soto  constructed 
boats  for  use  on  various  rivers,  no  one  pretends  that  when  he 
discovered  the  river  he  approached  it  by  water. 

To  insist  that  De  Soto  refused  to  travel  overland  from  his 
encampment  in  north  Mississippi,  over  any  one  of  the  three 
well  known  and  used  trails  described  above,  and  that  he  led  his 
small  army,  encumbered  with  its  armor  for  both  men  and  horses, 
not  to  mention  his  drove  of  hogs,  through  the  well  nigh  impene- 
trable Mississippi  bottom  with  its  rivers,  swamps,  lagoons, 
cypress  breaks,  and  morasses,  where  the  Indians  never  ventured 
to  blaze  a  trail  for  traveling  Indian  file,  is  to  ascribe  to  him  a 
piece  of  monumental  folly  too  great  for  the  most  credulous. 
And,  moreover,  it  was  a  task  no  one  like  situated  could  have 
accomplished. 

Article  of  Miss  Mixon— 

Among  the  many  notices  of  the  souvenir  edition  referred  to 
was  a  lengthy  editorial  from  the  pen  of  Honorable  J.  N.  Heiskell, 
one  of  the  editors  and  proprietors  of  the  Arkansas  Gazette,  the 

151 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

oldest  and  one  of  the  ablest  journals  of  this  section,  having 
reached  its  centenary  in  1919.  This  editorial  contained  the 
longest,  most  comprehensive,  and  accurate  summary  of  the  sub- 
ject treated  of  all  the  articles  that  came  under  my  notice;  and 
was  followed  by  another  editorial  in  which  attention  was  called 
to  a  previous  article  in  the  Gazette  by  Miss  Ada  Mixon,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  who  claimed  that  the  Mississippi  was  discovered 
"a  day's  journey"  south  of  Helena  (wherever  that  may  be);  and 
I  was  given  the  privilege  to  state  my  views  on  the  subject  (and 
which  appeared)  in  the  Gazette,  August  31,  1919,  followed  by  a 
well  written  article  from  Miss  Mixon  the  following  September 
28th. 

I  do  not  deem  it  necessary  to  make  any  reply  to  the  article  of 
Miss  Mixon  further  than  to  say  she  quotes  only  in  part  what 
Bancroft  and  Winsor  are  supposed  to  have  said  with  respect  to 
Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  and  in  fact  she  ascribes  to  Winsor  what  in 
point  of  fact  he  never  said,  but  was  said  by  John  Gilmary  Shea. 
It  would  appear  that  she  fell  into  this  error  by  assuming  that 
Justin  Winsor  was  the  author  of  that  great  work  in  eight  volumes 
entitled  Narrative  and  Critical  History  of  America,  whereas  he  was 
its  editor  only,  being  the  author  only  of  certain  subjects,  while 
many  other  distinguished  writers  were  the  authors  of  other  parts 
of  the  work.  Thus  John  Gilmary  Shea  is  the  author  of  the 
article  entitled,  Ancient  Florida,  found  in  Vol.  2,  page  23,  and 
the  language  quoted  by  Miss  Mixon  can  be  seen  at  page  290,  and 
is  the  language  of  Shea  and  not  Winsor. 

I  regret  that  she  did  not  quote  Shea  in  full,  but  the  purport 
of  what  she  claims  this  author  and  Bancroft  said  was  a  criticism 
of  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega  that  a  spirit  of  exaggeration  prevails 
throughout  the  volume,  though  (as  she  adds),  it  was  accepted  by 
Irving  and  others. 

The  main  point  for  which  I  referred  to  Garcilaso  was  that  he 
states  as  a  fact  that  there  was  a  high  mound  near  the  Mississippi 
River  where  it  was  discovered,  on  which  the  Chief  Chisca  lived, 
and  which  Garcilaso  describes.     There  is  not  a  word  in  any  of 

152 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  other  three  narratives  contradicting  this  statement  of  fact, 
they  simply  not  mentioning  the  mound. 

The  statement  of  a  fact,  such  as  the  existence  of  a  mound, 
can  not  be  said  to  be  an  "exaggeration"  such  as  was  meant  by  the 
authors  referred  to,  who  were  referring  to  the  elaborate  details 
sometimes  given  by  Garcilaso  of  events  which  were  also  men- 
tioned by  the  other  narratives  in  a  few  words,  and  without  any 
elaboration;  both  of  them  stating  that  his  book  was  a  very 
valuable  contribution  in  working  out  the  details  of  the  De  Soto 
expedition. 

Shea  was  not  only  the  author  of  the  chapter  quoted  from, 
but  also  of  the  Critical  Essay  on  the  Sources  of  Information, 
appearing  at  page  231,  as  shown  by  a  facsimile  of  his  autograph 
attached  thereto.  In  this  article  (p.  291)  Shea  says:  "As  to 
the  point  of  De  Soto's  crossing  of  the  Mississippi  there  is  a  very 
general  agreement  on  the  lowest  Chickasaw  Bluff,"  citing  Ban- 
croft in  a  note  as  an  authority. 

However,  Winsor  was  the  author  of  the  well  known  historical 
work,  the  Mississippi  Basin,  and  at  page  6  he  says,  "De  Soto 
crossed  the  river  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs." 

Bancroft  and  Winsor  stand  preeminent  as  American  his- 
torians, and  Claiborne  stands  equally  preeminent  among  local 
Mississippi  historians,  and  all  three  agree  that  De  Soto  crossed 
the  Mississippi  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluff. 

The  reason  for  their  preeminence  is  that  each  was  naturally 
gifted  with  good  judgment  and  an  analytical  mind,  and  these 
natural  gifts  were  accompanied  by  a  lifetime  of  painstaking 
study  upon  the  subjects  each  respectively  treated. 

The  Map  of  Delisle  Again— 

It  will  be  recalled  that  in  Chapter  V  ante  I  gave  my  want  of 
faith  in  maps  generally,  and  in  the  Delisle  (sometimes  spelled 
De  L'Isle)  map  in  particular.  At  that  time  I  had  not  seen  a 
copy  of  this  map,  but  recently  a  copy  of  it  was  called  to  my 
attention  at  page  472,  Vol.  2,  of  The  New  and  Complete  History 

153 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

of  the  United  States  of  America  by  Ridpath,  to  which  is  attached 
this  note: 

"Route  of  De  Soto  and  Moscoso,  as  worked  out  by  the  great 
French  geographer  Guillaume  Delisle,  and  published  in  Paris 
about  1705.  It  is  of  course  impossible  to  identify  the  course 
with  exactness,  and  there  are  many  divergent  opinions  as  to 
different  halting  places,  but  this  probably  comes  near  the 
facts." 

A  casual  glance  at  this  Delisle  map  shows  it  to  be  almost 
ludicrous  as  a  representation  of  the  country  which  it  proposes  to 
delineate. 

First:  It  represents  the  river  Tombigbee  (called  by  its 
French  name  Tombeckbe)  as  rising  in  the  mountains  of 
western  Kentucky,  whereas  we  all  know  that  its  headwaters 
arise  in  northern  Mississippi. 

Second:  The  map  is  supposed  to  show  the  route  of  De  Soto 
in  1540,  or  the  year  before  the  river  was  discovered,  and  it 
represents  De  Soto  as  approaching  the  Mississippi  approxi- 
mately within  a  day's  journey,  and  reaching  the  village  of 
Chisca.  It  then  represents  De  Soto  as  turning  back  and  re- 
tracing his  steps  until  he  had  recrossed  the  Tombigbee,  after 
which  he  turned  southwest  and  went  down  to  Mauilla  (variously 
written  as  Mobilia,  Mauvilla,  Mavilla,  etc.),  where  a  great  battle 
was  fought,  near  the  present  Mobile,  Alabama. 

Who  is  there  so  credulous  as  to  believe  that  De  Soto  was 
within  a  few  hours'  march  of  the  Mississippi  River  in  1540,  and 
then  deliberately  turned  his  back  to  it,  and  retraced  his  march  as 
indicated  above,  traveling  out  of  his  way  over  a  thousand  miles, 
which  consumed  a  year's  time  of  toilsome  wanderings  through 
the  wilderness,  before  he  reached  the  river  in  May,  1541? 

Third:  The  map  shows  the  villages  of  the  Chickasaws 
(written  Chicachas)  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tombigbee  and  north 
of  the  three  mouths  of  the  St.  Francis  River,  and  north  of  where 
Memphis  now  is. 

154 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Where  is  the  man  that  will  now  claim  that  this  Delisle  map 
correctly  shows  the  location  of  the  Chickasaw  nation,  or  that  the 
St.  Francis  has,  or  then  had,  three  mouths? 

Seemingly  not  content  with  this  location  of  the  Chickasaw 
village,  the  map  again  locates  the  Chicachas  (Chickasaws) 
down  somewhere  in  what  is  now  Mississippi,  but  there  is  nothing 
to  indicate  the  presence  of  villages  at  this  point,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  above  location  in  what  is  now  west  Tennessee. 

Fourth:  The  map  represents  the  route  of  De  Soto  as  cross- 
ing the  Mississippi  River  at  some  undesignated  point  south  of 
where  the  St.  Francis  River  empties  into  the  Mississippi  River, 
by  way  of  three  separate  and  distinct  mouths  or  branches.  It  was 
news  to  me,  and,  I  believe,  to  the  people  of  this  section  of  the 
country,  that  the  St.  Francis  has  or  ever  had  more  than  one 
mouth  emptying  into  the  Mississippi. 

As  stated,  there  is  absolutely  nothing  on  the  map  to  indicate 
that  the  crossing  was  in  what  is  now  Tunica  County,  Missis- 
sippi, or  that  the  crossing  was  below  where  Helena,  Arkansas, 
now  is. 

No  one  pretends,  not  even  Delisle  himself,  that  he  had  ever 
visited  this  section  of  the  country;  and  doubtless  he  was  never  in 
America.  How  any  reasonable  man  can  pin  his  faith  to  such  an 
imaginary  map,  or  can  attach  the  least  importance  thereto,  I 
confess  I  am  unable  to  comprehend. 

And  yet  it  is  upon  such  insubstantial  and  so-called  historical 
data,  that  we  are  asked  to  accept  the  theory  of  Prof.  Lewis, 
viz:  that  De  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi  River  (to 
quote  his  language)  "either  at  Council  Bend  or  Walnut  Bend 
in  a  straight  line  some  twenty-five  to  thirty-eight  miles  below 
Memphis." 

There  are  dozen  of  bends  in  the  river  similar  to  those  men- 
tioned, and  there  is  no  pretence  of  a  single  physical  feature  at 
either  point  to  identify  it  as  the  place  of  discovery,  and  the  very 
language  used  suggests  a  mere  guess  as  to  where  the  river  was 
discovered. 

155 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  De  Soto  Memorial  Erected  at  Memphis,  May  22, 1919— 

The  week  of  May  19th  to  the  24th,  1919,  was  set  aside  by  the 
Memphis  and  Shelby  County  Centennial  Celebration  Association 
to  properly  celebrate  the  centenary  of  the  city  and  county  which 
occurred  that  year. 

The  officers  and  members  of  the  executive  committee  were 
as  follows:  B.  A.  Bogy,  President,  Frank  N.  Fisher,  Vice- 
President,  Henry  C.  Loeb,  Treasurer,  E.  O.  Bailey,  Secretary, 
Roy  C.  Moyston,  Executive  Secretary;  B.  A.  Bogy,  James  H. 
Malone,  Judge  J.  P.  Young,  E.  O.  Bailey,  H.  C.  Loeb,  Frank 
N.  Fisher,  R.  L.  Jordan,  H.  R.  Chears,  R.  R.  Ellis,  C.  W.  Miller, 
George  B.  Coleman,  Walk  C.  Jones,  J.  B.  Edgar,  T.  A.  Robinson, 
C.  A.  Gerber,  Bishop  T.  F.  Gailor,  W.  R.  Herstein,  E.  P.  Mac- 
Nicol  and  Roy  C.  Moyston,  members. 

The  foregoing  executive  committee  set  aside  May  22,  1919, 
for  the  De  Soto  Memorial  Exercises,  and  forwarded  to  his  Ex- 
cellency Juan  Riano,  at  Washington,  D.  C,  the  Royal  Spanish 
Embassador  to  this  country,  an  invitation  to  be  present,  and  to 
accept  on  behalf  of  their  Majesties,  the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain, 
a  handsomely  bound  copy  of  Walter  Malone's  Epic,  Hernando 
De  Soto,  to  be  presented  on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Memphis  on 
the  date  mentioned.  His  Excellency  finding  it  impossible  to  be 
present,  on  account  of  previous  engagements,  named  Sen.  Don 
Emilio  Zapico,  Spanish  Consul  at  New  Orleans,  to  represent 
Spain  and  his  Excellency,  and  he  attended.  The  volume, 
Hernando  De  Soto,  was  specially  bound  according  to  the  latest 
book-binding  art,  at  a  cost  of  $250;  the  inscription  therein  to 
their  Majesties  was  the  work  of  A.  A.  Andrews  of  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  and  its  beauty  and  artistic  execution  were  equal  to 
the  binding  and  the  handsomest  I  have  ever  seen,  such  being  also 
the  opinion  of  all  who  saw  it. 

As  to  the  De  Soto  Memorial,  it  was  not  what  we  desired  it  to  be, 
but  what  the  funds  at  the  command  of  the  committee  would  allow. 

I  well  remember  that  when  the  sub-committee,  composed  of 
Dr.  B.  F.  Turner,  Chairman,  Judge  J.  P.  Young  and  James  H. 

156 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Malone,  reported  the  character  of  the  memorial  to  be  erected, 
Bishop  Thomas  F.  Gailor  feelingly  and  earnestly  inquired  if 
that  was  all  that  could  be  done,  adding  that  a  proper  memorial 
should  cost  at  least  $50,000. 

The  situation  being  explained  to  the  Bishop,  I  added  that  it 
was  our  earnest  hope  and  expectation  that  his  vision  would  in 
due  time  be  realized,  and  that  when  the  year  1941  dawned  upon 
Memphis,  the  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  the 
great  river  here,  there  would  indeed  be  a  great  celebration  in 
Memphis;  that  an  equestrian  bronze  statue  of  De  Soto,  of  heroic 
size  and  with  proper  allegorical  figures  below,  would  be  unveiled 
to  replace  the  one  now  to  be  erected. 

The  Bishop  acquiesced,  but  with  evident  regret. 

It  affords  me  pleasure  to  add  that,  since  the  foregoing  was 
written,  Bishop  Gailor  was  unanimously  elected  president  of  the 
Executive  Council  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America,  being  the  first  person  to  hold  that 
exalted  position,  and  it  is  almost  needless  to  add  with  universal 
satisfaction  to  the  great  Church  over  whose  councils  he  presides. 

The  memorial  consists  of  a  considerable  ledge  of  rough  dark 
grey  granite,  with  bronze  tablets  thereon,  containing  these  in- 
scriptions: 

North  side.  "Near  this  spot  Hernando  De  Soto  discovered 
the  Mississippi  River  in  May,  1541." 

On  top.  "When  first  visited  by  the  white  man,  this  spot  was 
the  site  of  the  fortress  of  Chisca,  the  chief  of  the  Indian  tribe 
which  inhabited  this  region,  and  whose  principal  village  stood  a 
short  distance  eastward.  The  nearby  eminences  are  mounds 
which  were  constructed  by  aboriginal  inhabitants  and  are  of 
unknown  antiquity." 

East  side.  "The  Chisca  mound  was  utilized  in  1863  during 
the  Civil  War  as  an  artillery  redoubt  and  magazine  fortress,  Fort 
Pickering;  and  the  top  of  the  mound  was  excavated  for  that 
purpose." 

West  side.  "This  park,  comprising  eleven  acres,  was  pur- 
chased in  1912  by  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners,  composed 

157 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

of  Robert  Galloway,  J.  T.  Willingham  and  Dr.  B.  F.  Turner,  and 
dedicated  to  the  use  and  pleasure  of  the  citizens  of  Memphis;  in 
perpetuity;  and  this  memorial  stone  has  been  erected  to  com- 
memorate its  interesting  traditions  and  historic  associations." 

The  memorial  rests  at  the  base  of  the  larger  of  the  two 
Indian  mounds,  a  picture  of  which  was  taken  for  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  is  here  reproduced  preceding  this  subtitle. 

Judge  J.  P.  Young  presided,  and  Dr.  B.  F.  Turner  made  the 
first  address,  which  follows : 

Address  of  Dr.  B.  F.  Turner— 

"Fellow  Citizens: 

"We  are  assembled  today  to  affix  the  stamp  of  our  appre- 
ciation upon  one  of  Memphis'  choicest  possessions;  and  to 
dedicate  a  memorial,  in  material  as  nearly  imperishable  as 
possible,  to  the  extraordinary  combination  of  associations, 
legendary,  prehistoric,  and  historic,  which  are  identified  with  this 
spot.  Other  places  there  may  be  upon  which  Nature  has  laid 
her  hand  as  caressingly  as  she  has  done  here  to  produce  the 
beautiful  and  the  picturesque.  Other  places  may  possess  the 
halo  of  romance  and  legend  equal  with  this.  Others  still  may 
bear  the  impress  of  man's  activities  before  the  date  of  written 
history.  And  others  still  may  have  the  marks  of  history  of  the 
recent  past.  But  where  else  find  we  the  picturesque  and  the 
beautiful  in  Nature,  the  romance  of  legend,  the  indubitable 
evidences  of  the  prehistoric,  and  the  stern  realities  of  rugged 
history  of  events  of  yesterday  associated  together  to  invest  one 
spot  with  such  rare  interest  and  charm.  It  is  not  inappropriate, 
therefore,  that  I  should  take  occasion  at  this  moment  to  men- 
tion briefly  the  combination  of  associations  which  renders  the 
spot  upon  which  we  stand  today  one  of  unusual  interest  and 
which  we  propose  to  perpetuate  in  bronze  and  granite. 

"In  the  upward  progress  of  the  human  race  certain  spots 
favorable  to  its  activities  become  the  center  of  accounts  more  or 
less  accurate,  more  or  less  mythical,  of  these  primeval  struggles. 
Such  a  spot  is  this.  Situated  favorably  for  tribal  development, 
offensive  and  defensive,  this  very  spot  gives  evidence  of  having 
been  the  center  of  a  teeming  population  from  a  remote  antiquity. 
The  inhabitants  who  were  found  here  when  first  the  white  man 

158 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

set  foot  upon  these  bluffs  possessed  accounts  of  races  ante- 
cedent to  themselves.  Archeological  researches  reveal  evidences 
of  successive  flourishings  and  extinctions  of  primitive  races  at 
this  very  place.  We  push  aside  the  curtain  which  separates 
the  present  from  the  past,  hoping  to  secure  a  better  vision  of  the 
mysteries  behind  the  obscuring  veil.  But  little  is  revealed. 
A  vista  of  events  long  past  stretches  before  us  in  ever  deepening 
twilight  to  terminate  in  the  gloom  of  the  unreal  and  the  legendary. 
And,  so,  round  this  spot  the  imagination  lingers  and  repopulates 
it  with  the  savage  man  who  once  disputed  the  possession  of  this 
ground  with  the  wolf,  the  panther,  and  the  bear,  and  whose  crude 
stone  weapons  are  still  occasionally  revealed  by  the  upturning 
spade  or  the  wash  of  the  summer  shower. 

"Again  in  the  upward  march  of  human  development  a 
point  is  reached  where  the  hand  of  man  has  fixed  upon  the  face 
of  Nature  monuments  indicative  of  his  tireless  energy  and  con- 
structive genius.  All  up  and  down  the  Mississippi  valley  are  to 
be  found  huge  mounds  of  earth  erected,  it  would  seem,  with 
infinite  labor  and  always  at  what  would  seem  to  be  points  of 
especial  advantage  for  one  purpose  or  another.  Such  a  point  is 
this.  Here  one,  upon  the  slope  of  which  we  stand,  and  out 
yonder  scarce  a  hundred  yards  another,  stand  two  such  struc- 
tures, erected  by  a  vanished  race;  by  hands  long  since  returned 
to  dust.  The  people  whom  the  white  man  found  here  were  using 
them,  but  it  is  not  at  all  certain  that  they  erected  them.  Indeed 
there  are  competent  archeologists  who  assign  their  origin  to  far 
earlier  and  quite  different  races.  If  so,  who  then  were  they  and 
when  passed  they  this  way  and  whence  departed?  Nor  are  the 
purposes  for  which  these  ancient  monuments  were  erected  posi- 
tively ascertained.  If  for  defense,  then  what  a  story  of  conflict, 
strife,  victory,  or  defeat  might  they  unfold,  could  they  but  speak 
today.  If  incidental  to  some  savage  worship,  some  primitive 
religion,  then  what  sacrificial  orgies,  what  fantastic  and  myster- 
ious rites  may  have  transpired  where  we  stand  today.  If  they 
be  tombs,  then  what  memento  of  some  long- forgotten  headman, 
chief,  or  savage  potentate  may  still  remain  enclosed  within  their 
mysterious  depths. 

"Here  they  have  stood  in  silent  majesty  to  our  certain 
knowledge  for  four  hundred  years  or  more:  And  by  ample 
archeological  evidence  for  a  period  vastly  longer  than  that; 
with  infinite  dignity  impressing  us  with  the  durability  of  some  of 

159 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

man's  achievements  as  well  as  the  ephemeral  character  of 
things  he  regards  as  stable.  And  long  after  we,  too,  have  gone 
our  way,  they  still  will  stand,  mysterious  sentinels  along  the  high- 
way of  human  achievement. 

"Then  came  a  day  when  Out  of  the  forest  across  the  valley 
yonder  and  from  over  the  ridge  to  the  eastward  beyond,  along  the 
age-old  trail  that  led  from  this  spot  to  the  regions  of  the  sources 
of  the  Tombigbee,  came  an  intrepid  band  of  warlike  wanderers, 
a  handful  of  adventurers  led  by  one  of  the  boldest  spirits  identified 
with  our  country's  history,  the  great  De  Soto.  With  unflinching 
courage  they  had  dared  the  dangers  of  a  trackless  ocean  in 
vessels  hazardously  inadequate  to  our  eyes.  Arrived  upon  an 
unknown  shore  they  had  plunged  into  forest,  morass,  lagoon,  and 
the  currents  of  mighty  rivers,  intimidated  neither  by  the  fierce 
inhabitants  of  the  jungle,  the  deadly  miasmas  of  the  swamp,  nor 
the  ambush  of  opposing  savages.  Along  this  trail  they  came,  up 
to  this  very  spot,  where  sat  in  all  barbaric  regalia  old  Chisca, 
the  chief  of  a  sturdy  but  uncivilized  race.  Here,  upon  this  spot, 
the  imperious  De  Soto,  animated  by  a  patriotism  no  less  exalted 
than  the  courage  which  sustained  him,  planted  the  flag  of  Spain 
and  claimed  the  region  all  about  for  his  beloved  king  and  queen. 
And  here  he  gazed  across  the  reaches  of  the  mighty  current 
flowing  at  his  feet  to  the  vast  forests  beyond  and  became  inspired 
to  further  conquests  westward.  And  here  the  haughty  Chisca 
demanded  the  occasion  of  such  intrusion  by  a  stranger  and 
disputed  any  other  sovereign  right  to  his  domain.  And  there, 
on  the  slopes  below  us,  eastward,  they  met  in  sanguinary  struggle, 
and  the  haughty  chieftain  bowed  in  submission  to  his  foe.  And 
here  somewhere,  within  the  murky  depths  of  the  Father  of 
Waters,  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  great  explorer  awaits  the  call 
that  some  day  will  assemble  friend  and  foe  together. 

"A  full  three  hundred  years  pass  by,  and  with  them  vanishes 
a  race.  The  followers  of  the  mighty  Chisca  no  longer  seek 
their  sustenance  upon  their  hunting  grounds.  Wide  fields  of 
corn  and  cotton  have  replaced  the  forest;  and  where  once  stood 
wigwams  now  are  seen  the  dwellings  of  an  industrious  and 
happy  people.  The  ancient  trail  has  been  replaced  by  a  railroad 
system.  And  then  a  great  upheaval  tears  the  nation  asunder  and 
brothers  stand  deadlocked  in  fratricidal  strife.  Here,  on  this 
spot,  a  Federal  army  guards  the  reaches  of  the  Mississippi. 
Over  there,  to  the  south  and  east,  scarce  out  of  sight  from  here, 

160 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Confederate  forces  scan  their  every  move  and  vigilantly  await  a 
possible  opportunity  to  attack.  And  this  old  mound,  hoary  with 
the  passing  centuries,  awakens  from  its  age-long  sleep  to  witness 
scenes  of  martial  activity.  Its  top  is  excavated.  Up  its  slopes 
cannon  are  dragged.  Its  side  is  perforated  with  an  ammunition 
magazine.  It  becomes  an  artillery  redoubt.  And  soldiers  ma- 
neuver on  the  spot  whereon  we  stand  today,  awaiting  the  on- 
slaught of  the  foe  or  perfecting  the  formation  for  attack. 

"Small  wonder  then  that,  as  we  stand  here  today,  beneath 
the  shade  of  these  tremendous  trees,  gazing  across  the  great  river 
flowing  at  our  feet  to  the  vast  forest  beyond,  the  sun's  rays  glint- 
ing on  the  murky  waters  with  a  sheen  of  bronze,  we  dream,  as 
did  the  great  De  Soto,  of  an  almost  infinite  past  of  human  ac- 
tivity enacted  on  this  spot;  of  an  imperishable  empire  limited 
only  by  the  waves  of  the  two  great  oceans. 

"And  so  we  give  today  this  memorial  stone  whereon  are 
recorded  on  tablets  of  bronze,  the  various  incidents  and  events 
associated  with  this  remarkable  spot,  to  you,  our  fellow  citizens, 
and  to  our  children  and  all  future  generations,  that  they  may  hold 
sacred  the  evidences  of  that  struggle  upward  which  untold  gen- 
erations in  the  past  have  made  toward  the  sublime  heights 
upon  which  they  dwell.  And  may  this  spot,  which  bears  the 
evidence  of  so  much  human  achievement,  be  consecrated  to 
their  use  and  pleasure  for  all  time  to  come. 

"Mr.  Chairman,  in  conclusion,  and  while  we  stand  here  in 
sight  of  the  great  river  which  was  discovered  here  by  that  great 
and  intrepid  explorer,  Hernando  De  Soto,  in  whose  bosom  his 
mortal  remains  were  buried,  and  whose  waves  were  his  winding 
sheet,  I  deem  it  appropriate  to  repeat  some  lines  from  Hernando 
De  Soto: 

The  Tomb  of  De  Soto— 

"De  Soto  sleeps  beneath  his  river's  waves; 
No  prouder,  no  more  lasting  monument 
Hath  any  being  of  terrestrial  birth. 
The  dying  Theban,  crowned  with  victory, 
For  mausoleum  had  his  battlefield, 
And  childless,  yet  exclaimed  exultingly: 
'Two  fairest  daughters  leave  I  unto  Thebes — 
Leuctra  and  Mantinea,  deathless  names!' 
The  giant  Alps,  where  sleep  eternal  snows, 

161 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Where  rush  wild  tempests  everlastingly, 
Where  raging  torrents  leap,  where  eagles  soar, 
And  rocky  summits  blend  with  clouds  of  heaven, 
These  make  a  tomb  for  Wingelried  and  Tell, 
Stout-hearted  patriots  of  their  mountain  land. 
Magellan — he  who  sought  to  round  the  world — 
Who  gave  his  life  to  prove  the  earth  a  globe — 
The  stormy  ocean  shouts  his  glorious  deeds, 
Spreading  his  fame  from  pole  to  pole. 
De  Soto's  mighty  river,  leading  on 
Ten  thousand  tributaries  to  the  sea — 
A  tomb  as  lordly  as  a  demigod's, 
Magnificent  and  everlasting — bears 
From  Norland  snow-peaks'  fountain-urns  of  ice 
To  the  far  sunland  vales  of  plumy  palms, 
The  name  of  him  who  gave  it  to  the  world. 

— Walter  M alone." 

Judge  R.  M.  Barton,  representing  Mayor  Monteverde,  was 
next  called  on  by  the  chairman,  Judge  J.  P.  Young. 

Address  of  Judge  R.  M.  Barton— 

"Mr.  Chairman,  Dr.  Turner,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen: 

"Our  mayor  finding  at  the  last  moment  this  morning  that 
conflicting  duties  would  prevent  his  presence  at  these  cere- 
monies, delegated  to  me  the  honor  and  duty  of  representing  him 
and  authorized  me  to  speak  for  him  and  the  people  of  Memphis, 
and  accept  this  trust. 

"So  appearing  and  speaking,  it  is  with  pleasure  and  gratifi- 
cation, I  assure  you,  that  he  and  they  accept  this  most  fitting 
work  of  the  Centennial  Committee,  this  historic  monument  of 
granite  and  bronze. 

"It  is  accepted  in  trust,  to  be  protected,  maintained  and 
treasured  by  the  city  and  people  of  Memphis,  with  a  deep  sense 
of  appreciation  of  its  lessons  and  significance.  We  will  treasure  it 
both  because  it  is  a  memorial  of  the  valor  and  heroism  of  our 
immediate  countrymen  on  both  sides  of  the  struggle  between  the 
states — whose  memories  we  would  keep  green,  and  because  it  is 
a  monument  to  that  gallant  band  of  Spaniards  who  were  the 
'path  finders'  of  modern  civilization  in  this  section  of  our  country. 

162 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

'They  were  the  first  white  men  to  penetrate  this  then 
savage  and  unknown  wilderness,  and  at  this  point  discovered  the 
great  river  on  whose  banks  we  now  stand. 

"Nowhere  in  the  annals  of  the  world  do  we  find  a  grander 
or  more  sublime  exhibition  of  daring  and  heroic  endeavor  and 
endurance  than  that  of  De  Soto  and  his  small  force. 

"It  will  forever  stand  in  our  history  as  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  accomplishments  of  human  courage,  valor,  and  daring. 

"It  is  one  of  the  great  climaxes  in  the  development  of  civili- 
zation— the  turning  point  of  the  currents  of  life  on  this  great 
continent.  The  light  of  Eastern  civilization  was  then  turned  on 
this  hitherto  unknown  world — they  first  brought  to  this  country 
the  banner  and  cross  of  the  Christian  religion,  which  we  now 
claim  as  the  abiding  foundation  of  our  own  civilization.  They 
opened  the  field  for  the  more  peaceful  messengers  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace. 

"To  them,  our  great  predecessors,  we  owe  admiration  and 
respect;  we  would  honor  and  perpetuate  their  feats  of  valor  and 
endurance,  and  remembering,  undertake  to  weave  into  our  own 
lives  something  of  their  heroic  endeavor  and  courage. 

"It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  and  pleasure  that  we  have 
with  us  today  and  are  honored  by  his  presence,  Senor  Don 
Emilio  Zapico,  the  official  representative  of  the  great  sovereigns 
and  people  of  Spain,  who  is  here  to  participate  in  these  ceremonies 
and  received  for  them  a  testimonial  of  our  respect  and  admiration. 

"And  (turning  to  Don  Zapico),  I  wish  to  say,  Senor,  that  we 
feel  it  not  only  an  honor  to  have  you  with  us  as  the  representative 
of  your  honored  sovereigns  and  people  but  it  is  a  distinct  pleasure 
to  have  met  such  a  charming  and  genial  representative,  who  meets 
so  fully  our  ideal  of  the  gallant,  courteous  Spanish  gentleman. 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,  as  compared  with  the  illustrious 
Spanish  nation,  and  the  other  great  nations  of  Europe,  we,  as  a 
nation,  are  very  young —  a  mere  stripling. 

"In  our  childhood,  we  must  tell  the  Senor  that  we  cannot 
hope  to  point  out  any  great,  beautiful  palaces  of  the  olden  times, 
like  his  Alhambra.  We  have  no  grand  old  specimens  of  archi- 
tecture, no  pictures  of  the  old  masters,  no  relics  of  ancient  great- 
ness, culture,  and  accomplishment. 

"I  regret  to  say  we  cannot  at  this  time  even  grace  our  hos- 
pitality with  an  offering  of  old  wine — we  are  young,  and  the 
Senor  will  find  that  our  ladies  are  all  young — he  has  already  re- 

163 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

marked  on  their  beauty.  He  sees  the  springtime  all  round  him 
in  the  budding  foliage  and  flowers. 

"But  notwithstanding  our  youth,  he  will  find  that  we  are 
not  unacquainted  with  nor  unmindful  of  the  ancient  and  present 
glories  of  the  Spanish  nations.  We  know  the  great  part  the 
Spanish  rulers  and  people  have  taken  in  the  world's  history, 
discovery,  and  development,  especially  on  this  western  continent. 
It  is  familiar  to  every  school  boy  and  girl.  We  know  much  of  the 
beauty  and  charm  of  Spanish  learning  and  literature,  of  the  many 
noble  traits  of  and  graces  and  beauty  of  the  Spanish  character  and 
people.  Many  of  the  Spanish  classics  have  been  translated  and 
read  by  us  and  infused  into  our  own  literature. 

"Our  own  local  poet,  Judge  Walter  Malone,  has  sung  in 
imperishable  verse  of  the  valor  and  deeds  of  the  great  Spanish 
warriors  and  discoverers,  of  which  you  will  have  witness. 

"Our  own  writer,  Washington  Irving,  has  given  us  vivid 
pictures  of  the  glories  and  beauties  of  Spain.  Some  of  your 
words  we  have  adopted  as  our  own.  Your  wise  proverbs  have 
become  our  common  property,  Senor  Zapico,  when  we  give  wings 
to  our  imagination,  and  have  daydreams  of  wealth,  greatness, 
beauty,  and  grace.  We  speak  of  them — our  dreams — as  'build- 
ing castles  in  Spain.' 

"And  so,  although  young  and  lacking  in  the  ancient  glories 
and  beauties  of  Spain  to  offer  for  your  entertainment  and  pleasure, 
we  respect  your  great  sovereigns  and  people,  and  appreciate  your 
presence  on  this  occasion,  and  if  I  may  be  permitted  to  use  what 
I  understand  to  be  a  characteristic  expression  of  that  so  noted  and 
gracious  hospitality  of  the  Spaniards,  we  say  to  you,  of  such  as 
we  have,  'It  is  all  yours.' 

"And  now,  Mr.  Chairman,  ladies,  and  gentlemen,  while  we 
as  a  people  are  mainly  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  Celtic  races,  and 
have  inherited  their  language,  laws,  traditions,  and  institutions, 
we  can  and  do  claim  as  part  of  our  history  some  of  the  traditions 
and  glories  of  the  Latins  of  Spain,  France,  and  Portugal.  We 
honor  their  achievements  and  would  absorb  into  our  own  national 
life  and  character  the  influence  and  spirit  of  their  valor,  endur- 
ance, and  accomplishments.  We  would  emulate  that  Spanish 
pride  of  which  we  have  heard  much,  that  pride  which  comes  from 
a  consciousness  of  true  gentility,  of  unf earing  manhood,  of 
untainted  honor,  which  yields  to  all  others  that  full  consideration 
which  it  demands  for  itself — that  birthright  of  a  Spanish  gentle- 

164 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

man.  We  will  accept,  guard,  and  treasure  this  monument  as  an 
everlasting  memento  of  them  and  as  an  incentive  to  our  coming 
generations  to  study  their  history  and  emulate  their  spirit,  and 
with  this  feeling  and  this  purpose,  I,  on  behalf  of  the  mayor,  city 
and  people  of  Memphis,  accept  for  them  this  monument  so 
appropriately  erected  and  presented  at  this  time." 

Address  of  J.  Elmore  Holmes  Presenting  Copy  of  "De  Soto"— 

"Mr.  Chairman,  Senor  Zapico,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen: 

"We  come  to  this  historic  bluff,  near  where  the  great 
Hernando  De  Soto  discovered  the  Mississippi  River,  to  engage  in 
this  ceremony  in  honor  of  him  who  has  blazed  the  way  for  our 
modern  civilization.  At  the  same  time  we  come  to  honor  the 
nation  he  represented  and  the  civilization  which  sent  him  on  his 
mission  of  exploration. 

"We  Americans  are  greatly  indebted  to  Spain  for  the  in- 
trepid spirit  of  her  explorers  and  soldiers  who  made  it  possible  to 
open  up  this  New  World. 

"It  is  true  that  there  are  many  Spanish  names  which  are 
household  words  here.  In  the  first  chapter  of  our  American 
history  their  Majesties  King  Ferdinand  and  Queen  Isabella  play 
the  important  part  of  giving  financial  aid  and  support  to  the  dis- 
covery of  America.  Balboa,  Ponce  de  Leon,  and  Hernando  De 
Soto  occupy  unique  and  important  places  in  our  American  history. 

"The  county  immediately  to  the  south  of  us,  and  in  the 
State  of  Mississippi,  bears  the  name  of  De  Soto  and  the  county 
seat  is  Hernando.  We  have  our  De  Soto  Street  and  our  Hernando 
Street  in  this  great  city. 

"The  author  of  the  volume  which  I  hold  in  my  hand  was 
born  and  reared  in  De  Soto  County,  Mississippi,  and  he  received 
the  inspiration  which  enabled  him  to  write  the  great  epic  poem 
in  the  forests  of  the  Chickasaw  Indians,  and  he  has  put  into  song 
the  undying  fame  of  Hernando  De  Soto  and  the  greatness  of  Spain. 

"It  is  no  wonder  then,  Senor  Zapico,  that  on  the  hundredth 
anniversary  of  our  great  city  we  should  feel  bound  to  express  to 
you,  and  to  your  great  country,  and  to  your  great  king  and  queen, 
this  debt  of  gratitude  which  we  feel ! 

"Allow  me  to  read  the  beautifully  executed  inscription  on 
the  first  page  of  this  book  from  the  artistic  pen  of  our  townsman 
A.  A.  Andrews,  which  is  in  these  words : 

165 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"'Presented  to  their  Majesties  Alfonso  and  Victoria,  King 
and  Queen  of  Spain,  in  commemoration  of  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  city  of  Memphis  and  county  of  Shelby,  State 
of  Tennessee,  U.  S.  A.,  in  memory  of  the  intrepid  sons  of  Spain 
who  braved  so  much  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  civilized  world  to 
the  new  America.' 

"Senor  Zapico,  it  now  becomes  my  very  pleasant  duty  to 
present  to  you  on  behalf  of  Memphis  and  Shelby  County,  and 
on  behalf  of  the  Centennial  Committee,  this  beautifully  bound 
volume,  which  tells  the  story  and  gives  the  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  prehistoric  and  the  historic,  and  in  presenting  this 
volume  to  you,  we  ask  you  to  transmit  it  to  their  Majesties  King 
Alfonso  and  Queen  Victoria  with  every  expression  from  us  of  our 
profound  sense  of  gratitude  to  Spain ;  and  also  as  an  expression  of 
our  friendship  and  the  friendship  of  the  American  people.  And 
will  you  permit  us  also  to  indulge  the  hope  that  the  friendship 
which  now  so  happily  exists  between  our  country  and  your 
country  may  last  not  for  a  day,  but  that  it  shall  endure  through 
the  ages  yet  to  come?" 

Response  of  Senor  Don  Emilio  Zapico,  The  Spanish  Consul— 

"Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen: 

"I  have  the  honor  and  pleasure  of  being  present  on  this 
auspicious  occasion  to  represent  the  government  of  their  Majes- 
ties, the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain. 

"As  our  people  treasure  the  memory  of  the  heroic  accom- 
plishments of  the  great  Spaniards  of  the  past  and  of  the  mighty 
part  Spain  has  taken  in  the  history  and  progress  of  the  world, 
we  are  pleased  with  the  courtesy  of  your  invitation  to  be  rep- 
resented on  this  occasion,  and  gratified  by  the  spirit  of  friendli- 
ness shown  by  your  people  and  by  the  evidence  of  your  apprecia- 
tion of  the  great  deeds  of  our  compatriots  by  the  erection  of  this 
monument  in  granite  and  bronze.  As  of  old,  we  still  prize  that 
spirit  of  dauntless  endeavor  and  courage  to  which  you  pay 
tribute,  and  of  which  their  Majesties  of  Spain  are  our  high 
exemplars.  We  find  a  touch  of  kinship  in  your  recognition  of 
this,  and  we  feel  that  we  can  indeed  claim  to  have  been  and  still 
are  in  accomplishment  and  in  spirit  a  part  of  the  history  and  life 
of  this  great  country.  These  things  demonstrate  that  the  mighty 
impulses  and  effects  of  great  deeds  die  not  with  the  immediate 

166 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

events  and  actors,  but  are  immortal,  moving  down  the  ages  with 
ever-widening  influence  and  increasing  force.  And  may  our 
part  in,  and  your  just  and  generous  recognition  of,  these  heroic 
events  draw  our  countries  still  nearer  together  in  purpose,  efforts, 
and  spirit. 

"We  are  glad  that  not  only  in  this  monument  of  granite  and 
bronze  but  in  the  imperishable  verse  written  by  your  own  great 
poet,  Judge  Walter  Malone,  you  have  celebrated  the  deeds  of 
which  we  are  justly  proud. 

"The  beautiful  copy  of  the  great  poem  Hernando  De  Soto 
which  you  have  so  kindly  presented  to  their  Majesties  will  be 
gladly  received  and  will  be  prized  by  them  for  its  beauty,  for  the 
spirit  which  prompted  the  gift,  and  for  the  wonderful  poem 
itself. 

"On  behalf  of  their  Majesties  and  on  behalf  of  the  govern- 
ment and  people  of  Spain  I  greet  you  and  again  thank  you  for 
the  beautiful  volume  I  now  hold  in  my  hand,  and  it  will  be  care- 
fully treasured  and  forwarded  to  their  Majesties,  the  King  and 
Queen  of  Spain." 

Minnesota  and  Mississippi  Honor  De  Soto — 

The  present  adult  generation  was  taught  that  the  Minnesota 
branch  of  the  Mississippi  River  arose  in  Lake  Itasca,  but  the 
rising  generation  will  be  taught  that  the  source  of  this  great 
branch  of  the  Mississippi  is  Lake  Hernando  De  Soto,  named  in 
honor  of  the  intrepid  explorer  of  that  name,  and  in  so  honoring 
his  memory  Minnesota  honored  herself. 

In  a  letter  to  me  October  24,  1919,  Warren  Upham,  Secretary 
of  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society,  states  that  Lake  Hernando 
De  Soto  is  in  the  north  edge  of  Becker  County,  two  and  a  half 
miles  south  from  the  west  arm  of  Lake  Itasca,  and  that  Lake 
Hernando  De  Soto  is  the  highest  lake  sending  water,  by  under- 
ground seepage,  to  the  Mississippi.  Its  area  is  two  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  of  very  irregular  outlines,  with  numerous  arms> 
peninsulas,  and  islands.  Its  height  above  Lake  Itasca,  deter- 
mined by  leveling,  is  one  hundred  and  one  feet,  and  its  maximum 
depth  is  twenty  feet.  According  to  the  most  reliable  information 
from  leveling  by  United  States  surveys,  railroads,  and  a  special 

167 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

series  of  levels  by  J.  V.  Brown  in  1891,  the  height  of  Lake  Itasca 
was  ascertained  to  be  fourteen  hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet 
above  mean  sea  level.  Its  maximum  depth  in  the  southeast 
arm  is  about  eighty  feet,  and  its  natural  range  of  low  and  high 
water  was  only  about  eight  inches,  but  the  dams  of  lumbermen 
raised  it  some  two  or  three  feet  for  a  few  years,  but  that  was  many 
years  ago. 

In  1 891  Minnesota  established  the  Itasca  State  Park, 
containing  22,000  acres,  about  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  in 
Clearwater,  Becker,  and  Hubbard  Counties,  dedicated  as  a 
great  playground  for  its  people;  a  wise  act. 

On  February  9,  1836,  the  State  of  Mississippi  created  the 
county  of  De  Soto,  lying  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the 
State,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Mississippi  River  and  on  the 
north  by  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

It  was  so  named  in  honor  of  the  great  explorer,  and  the 
county  seat  was  named  Hernando,  thus  giving  the  full  name  of 
Hernando  De  Soto  to  the  county  and  the  site  of  the  county 
government.  A  portion  of  the  county  lies  in  the  upper  reaches 
of  the  fertile  Mississippi  delta,  but  the  greater  part  lies  in  the 
high,  rolling,  plateau  region,  and  though  there  is  considerable 
sand  in  the  soil,  it  is  capable  of  producing  most  abundant 
crops  of  many  varieties,  and  altogether  a  delightful  place  of 
abode. 

We  learn  from  Saunders  (p.  132)  that  Hernando  was  first 
named  Jefferson,  and  that  before  the  Civil  War  De  Soto  County 
became  the  abode  of  many  wealthy  and  aristocratic  families. 
Among  the  prominent  men  of  antebellum  days  may  be  men- 
tioned: General  James  R.  Chalmers,  Judge  H.  H.  Chalmers, 
G.  D.  Shands,  Thomas  W.  White,  Col.  Felix  Labauve,  Judge 
James  Bright  Morgan,  Dr.  Thomas  A.  Iredale,  Dr.  Franklin  J. 
Malone,  and  his  son  John  T.  Malone,  Finley  Holmes,  and  his 
son  Francis  Holmes,  Dr.  J.  H.  P.  Westbrook,  R.  H.  Vance, 
and  the  afterwards  distinguished  General  Nathan  Bedford 
Forrest. 

168 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  this  county  my  youngest  brother,  Walter  Malone,  was 
born  February  10,  1866,  and  there  I  lived  until  1872,  when  I 
removed  to  Memphis. 

So  far  as  my  information  extends,  the  naming  of  the  county 
and  county  site  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  De  Soto  is  the  only 
instance  in  which  the  public  authorities  have  taken  any  notice 
of  the  intrepid  explorer  who  spent  the  winter  of  1 540-1 541  among 
the  Chickasaw  Indians  in  what  is  now  north  Mississippi.  We 
of  the  south  have  given  scant  attention  to  the  preservation  of 
local  history,  while  our  Northern  brethren  wisely  convert  such 
matters  into  a  public  asset.  I  was  delighted  to  learn  from  Judge 
Charles  Lee  Crum  that  he  intended  to  place  a  marker  or  monu- 
ment at  the  rock  bottom  ford  on  the  Tallahatchie  River  where 
De  Soto  crossed  that  river  in  1541,  only  a  few  days  before  his 
discovery  of  the  great  river.  On  January  1,  1920,  the  Memphis 
Historical  Society  passed  a  resolution  commending  the  purpose 
of  Judge  Crum,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  such  an  example  will 
quicken  a  public  interest  in  matters  of  this  kind. 


169 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  HOME  LIFE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  CHICKASAWS 

A  history  of  a  people  which  is  confined  to  the  changes  in 
their  forms  of  government,  and  those  who  effect  those  changes, 
including  the  wars  and  revolutions  experienced  by  every  nation, 
fails  to  give  a  comprehensive  picture  of  that  people. 

As  we  have  reached  that  period  when  the  Chickasaws  have 
clearly  come  into  the  light  of  authentic  history,  I  will  endeavor 
to  enter  into  some  details,  so  that  it  may  appear  who  and  what 
manner  of  people  they  were  when  first  discovered  roaming  the 
forest  as  the  untutored  children  of  nature.  This  has  proven  not 
an  easy  task,  for  the  Indians  were  without  a  written  history, 
and  much  that  has  been  written  and  said  of  them  has  not  only 
emanated  from  prejudiced  sources  but  from  persons  who  were 
without  adequate  means  of  information;  and  consequently 
much  misinformation  has  been  spread  abroad  on  this  interesting 
subject.  Manifestly  it  is  desirable  to  know  them  in  their  aborigi- 
nal state,  and  before  changes  took  place  from  their  contact  with 
the  white  man,  which  has  wrought  many  changes  in  them  and 
threatens  their  very  existence  at  a  future  day. 

This  is  a  subject  of  deep  interest  to  every  reflecting  man,  for 
it  involves  questions  with  respect  to  the  history  of  the  whole 
human  race  and  the  final  destiny  of  civilized  mankind. 

Authentic  Sources  of  Information— 

Obviously  our  first  care  should  be  to  seek  for  authentic 
information;  that  is,  information  from  authors  who  had  their 
information  at  first  hands,  who  had  the  means  of  seeing  and 
knowing  the  Chickasaws  as  they  were  in  their  primitive  condi- 
tion, and  who  had  the  ability  and  desire  to  correctly  record  what 

170 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

they  saw  and  heard.  Hereinbefore  I  have  given  my  reasons  for 
relying  upon  the  works  of  Adair,  Cushman,  and  Lincecum, 
and  after  the  examination  of  many  books  I  desire  to  especially 
commend  the  writings  of  William  Bartram,  John  Lawson,  and 
Albert  James  Pickett  for  accuracy  and  as  bearing  internal 
evidence  of  a  desire  coupled  with  ability  to  relate  the  story  of  the 
Indians  as  they  saw  and  knew  them. 

As  the  works  of  these  authors  are  comparatively  rare  books, 
and  when  accessible  must  be  carefully  read  in  order  to  sift  out 
those  parts  relative  to  the  Chickasaws,  I  deem  it  not  improper  to 
give  a  short  notice  of  each  of  them. 

William  Bartram  was  the  son  of  John  Bartram,  botanist 
to  the  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society 
under  whom  the  son  (William)  received  his  training. 

At  the  request  of  Dr.  Fothergill  of  London,  Bartram  sailed 
from  London  in  April,  1773,  to  search  the  western  parts  of  Caro- 
lina and  Georgia  for  the  discovery  of  rare  and  useful  productions 
of  nature,  chiefly  in  the  vegetable  kingdom,  and  he  landed  in 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  the  spring  of  1773,  and  spent 
several  years  in  exploring  Florida,  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  and 
what  is  now  the  southern  portions  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi, 
going  up  the  Mississippi  and  also  the  Tombigbee  short  distances, 
but  did  not  visit  the  Chickasaw  country,  though  he  often  speaks 
of  them,  having  seen  bands  of  their  men  but  not  their  women. 

He  was  a  thoroughly  equipped  botanist,  and  his  descriptions 
not  only  of  the  flora  and  fauna  but  of  the  aborigines  of  the 
country  impressed  me  as  of  the  first  order,  while  his  graceful 
style  of  writing  has  not  been  excelled  by  any  of  the  early  ex- 
plorers. 

He  speaks  of  the  Muscogulge  (which  is  now  written  Musk- 
hogean)  as  the  principal  tribe  inhabiting  the  country  from  the 
Carolinas,  Georgia,  and  Florida  to  the  Mississippi,  and  of  the 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  as  their  confederates. 

They  were  all,  in  fact,  members  of  the  Muskhogean  family, 
but  were  often  at  war  with  each  other. 

171 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

John  Lawson  came  to  America  in  1700,  landing  at  New- 
York,  but  after  a  fortnight  stay  he  put  out  from  Sandyhook  and 
in  fourteen  days  arrived  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  he  became 
Surveyor  General  of  Carolina,  North  and  South  Carolina  being 
one  and  the  same  at  that  time. 

His  book  consists  in  part  of  a  journal  he  kept  with  a  history 
of  what  he  saw  and  learned  in  Carolina. 

Lawson  represented  the  Lords  proprietors  under  the  cele- 
brated charter  of  Charles  II  to  Edward,  Earl  of  Clarendon,  and 
associates,  by  which  that  gay  monarch  granted  in  1663  and  1665, 
that  vast  territory  called  Carolina  and  vaguely  described  as 
lying  within  certain  degrees  of  latitude  on  the  Atlantic,  and  ex- 
tending back  to  the  "South  Sea,"  for  such  was  the  name  by 
which  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  called  at  that  time.  Lawson's  book 
contains  a  full  report  to  the  Lords  proprietors,  and  was  first 
published  in  London  in  1714,  and  republished  in  Raleigh,  N.  C, 
in  i860. 

Unfortunately  Lawson  was  murdered  by  the  Indians  on  a 
subsequent  trip  to  Carolina. 

This  rare  book  was  placed  in  my  hands  by  Judge  L.  B.  Mc- 
Farland,  veteran  and  retired  member  of  the  Memphis  bar. 
He  had  read  the  first  part  of  this  sketch  of  the  Chickasaws, 
published  as  a  souvenir  to  the  Memphis  Centenary,  and  becoming 
very  much  interested  in  the  subject  and  its  treatment,  he  made 
many  valuable  suggestions  as  to  the  subject  matter  of  succeeding 
chapters. 

Albert  James  Pickett,  was  an  Alabamian  (my  native  state) 
and  the  author  of  a  history  of  Alabama,  and  incidentally  of 
Georgia  and  Mississippi,  the  book  appearing  in  1 851,  the  copy 
I  read  being  a  republication  by  Robert  C.  Randolph  in  1896. 
Pickett  would  travel  hundreds  of  miles  to  verify  a  single  matter 
which  he  deemed  of  importance,  and  spent  a  lifetime  in  laborious 
efforts  to  present  an  accurate  history  from  the  earliest  times. 
While  he  was  thus  engaged  in  what  he  declares  was  his  life  work, 
he  often  became  despondent,   and   thought  of  destroying  his 

172 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

material;  but  fortunately  persevered  to  the  end,  his  book  now- 
being  regarded  as  a  classic  on  the  subjects  treated. 

While  Pickett  was  preparing  his  history  of  Alabama, 
Theodore  Irving  was  preparing  his  Conquest  of  Florida,  which 
revealed  to  Americans  the  narrative  of  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega  of 
the  De  Soto  expedition,  and  Irving  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the 
work  of  Pickett. 

Upon  further  reflection  I  have  concluded  to  list  with  the 
three  above  mentioned  authors  Captain  Bernard  Romans,  of 
the  English  Army,  who  traveled  extensively  through  the  South- 
west, visiting  the  Chickasawsin  1771.  In  1775  he  brought  out  his 
book,  Natural  History  of  East  and  West  Florida,  now  a  rare  book, 
and  though  comparatively  small,  at  the  last  sale  a  copy  brought 

$450- 

While  rather  dogmatic,  Romans  was  an  unusually  intelli- 
gent writer,  gathering  a  great  mass  of  information  relative  to 
what  are  now  some  of  the  Southern  States.  He  was  also  an 
artist  of  considerable  talents,  and  not  only  drew  valuable  maps 
of  the  country,  with  its  harbors,  bays,  and  inlets,  but  also  drew 
with  pen  and  ink  what  he  termed  characteristic  warriors  and 
women  of  the  various  tribes  of  Indians  visited  by  him. 

Among  these  he  drew  what  he  called  a  characteristic  Chick- 
asaw warrior,  which  is  the  earliest  attempt  I  have  met  with  to 
portray  the  appearance  of  a  primitive  Chickasaw,  who  were  not 
inclined,  I  infer,  to  have  their  pictures  taken.  This  drawing  is 
reproduced  in  Chapter  VIII. 

If  it  be  said  that  these  authors  were  not  treating  specifically 
of  the  Chickasaws,  still  they  treated  of  them  in  part,  and,  more- 
over, they  were  treating  especially  of  the  great  Muskhogean 
family  of  Indians,  which  comprised  the  Chickasaws,  Choctaws, 
Creeks,  and  Seminoles,  and  these  with  the  Cherokees  occupied 
almost  exclusively  that  vast  territory  stretching  from  the  eastern 
shores  of  the  Mississippi,  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  far  into 
Kentucky  and  thence  eastward  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  These 
five  tribes  of  Indians  were  farther  advanced  than  any  Northern 

173 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

tribe,  and  hence  became  known  and  designated  as  "The  Five 
Civilized  Tribes." 

The  Cherokees  were  not  nearly  related  to  the  other  four 
tribes,  but  belonged  to  the  Southern  branch  of  the  Iroquois 
Indians,  and  for  the  most  part  lived  in  the  mountainous  regions 
of  Virginia,  Tennessee,  the  Carolinas,  Alabama,  and  Georgia. 
They  were  a  splendid  type  of  an  uncivilized  people,  and  the  fact 
that  Sequoyah,  a  man  of  splendid  intellect,  sprung  from  them, 
marks  the  Cherokees  as  a  remarkable  people. 

It  may  be  here  recalled  that  while  the  Chickasaws  were  far 
less  numerous  than  any  other  of  these  notable  aboriginal  tribes, 
being  less  than  one-tenth  of  the  combined  populations  of  the  five 
tribes,  still  they  were  more  than  a  match  for  any  one  of  them, 
being  often  called  the  unconquered  and  unconquerable  Chicka- 
saws. 

They  had  no  superiors  upon  this  continent. 


It  has  been  a  question  with  me  in  the  preparation  of  this  work 
as  to  the  best  method  to  present  the  facts,  so  that  errors  might 
not  supervene,  as  far  as  that  is  possible,  and  yet  avoid  unneces- 
sary details.  I  have  concluded  to  make  literal  quotations  in 
many  instances,  so  that  the  truth  may  appear  as  presented  by 
those  who  saw  and  heard  for  themselves  the  things  which  they 
wrote. 

How  the  Original  Chickasaws  Appeared— 

Bartram  was  a  botanist  of  the  first  order,  and  his  labors  in 
the  unexplored  regions  of  the  new  world,  along  the  lines  of  his 
life  work,  in  the  discovery  of  new  plants  and  varieties  of  known 
forms  and  their  proper  classification,  have  stood  the  test  of  more 
than  a  century,  and  he  stands  preeminent  in  this  branch  of 
science.  He  must  therefore  have  been  an  unusually  close  observer, 
and  likewise  had  the  capacity  to  accurately  record  what  he  saw. 
His  writings  were  by  no  means  solely  confined  to  questions  of 

174 


The  above  is  reproduced  from  Captain  Bernard  Roman's  drawing  from  life 
in  1771,  it  being  what  he  called  (p.  59)  a  "Characteristick  Chickasaw  head,"  and  the 
earliest  I  have  found.     Apparently  it  was  drawn  with  pen  and  ink. 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

botany,  but  he  wrote  of  everything  he  saw  and  heard  in  his 
extensive  trips  through  the  wild  Indian  countries,  including  the 
Indians  as  he  saw  them  and  knew  them  during  the  years  he 
spent  among  them.  He  says  (p.  258)  that  the  Indians  named 
him  Puc-Puggy,  which  in  their  language  meant  Flower  Hunter; 
and  as  the  Indians  were  quick  to  distinguish  persons  who  came 
among  them  on  friendly  missions  from  those  who  came  for 
mercenary  or  unworthy  purposes,  we  may  be  sure  that  the 
Indians  were  free  and  far  more  communicative  with  him  than  the 
ordinary  pioneer,  and  that  his  means  of  knowing  them  were  of  a 
superior  order. 

I  will  therefore  let  Bartram  picture  the  Chickasaws  for  the 
reader : 

"The  males  of  the  Cherokees,  Muscogulges,  Creeks,  Semi- 
noles,  Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  and  confederate  tribes  of  the 
Creeks,  are  tall,  erect,  and  moderately  robust;  their  limbs  well 
shaped,  so  as  generally  to  form  a  perfect  human  figure;  their 
features  regular,  and  countenance  open,  dignified,  and  placid; 
yet  the  forehead  and  brow  so  formed  as  to  strike  you  instantly 
with  heroism  and  bravery;  the  eye  though  rather  small,  yet 
active  and  full  of  fire,  the  iris  always  black,  and  the  nose  common- 
ly inclining  to  the  aquiline. 

"Their  countenance  and  actions  exhibit  an  air  of  mag- 
nanimity, superiority,  and  independence. 

"Their  complexion,  of  a  reddish  brown  or  copper  colour; 
their  hair  long,  lank,  coarse,  and  black  as  a  raven,  and  reflecting 
the  like  lustre  at  different  exposures  to  the  light. 

"The  women  of  the  Cherokees  are  tall,  slender,  erect,  and  of 
a  delicate  frame;  their  features  formed  with  perfect  symmetry, 
their  countenance  cheerful  and  friendly,  and  they  move  with  a 
becoming  grace  and  dignity. 

"The  Muscogulge  women,  though  remarkably  short  of 
stature,  are  well  formed;  their  visage  round,  features  regular  and 
beautiful;  the  brow  high  and  arched;  the  eye  large,  black,  and 
languishing,  expressive  of  modesty,  diffidence,  and  bashfulness; 
these  charms  are  their  defensive  and  offensive  weapons,  and  they 
know  well  how  to  play  them  off,  and  under  cover  of  these  alluring 
graces  are  concealed  the  most  subtle  artifices;  they  are,  however, 

175 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

loving  and  affectionate.  They  are,  I  believe,  the  smallest  race  of 
women  yet  known,  seldom  above  five  feet  high,  and  I  believe  the 
greater  number  never  arrive  to  that  stature ;  their  hands  and  feet 
not  larger  than  those  of  Europeans  of  nine  or  ten  years  of  age; 
yet  the  men  are  of  gigantic  stature,  a  full  size  larger  than  Euro- 
peans; many  of  them  above  six  feet,  and  a  few  under  that,  or  five 
feet  eight  or  ten  inches. 

"Their  complexion  much  darker  than  any  of  the  tribes  to  the 
north  of  them  that  I  have  seen.  This  description  will,  I  believe, 
comprehend  the  Muscogulges,  their  confederates,  the  Choctaws, 
and  I  believe  the  Chickasaws  (though  I  have  never  seen  their 
women),  excepting  some  bands  of  the  Seminoles,  Uches,  and 
Savannucas,  who  are  rather  taller  and  slenderer,  and  their  com- 
plexion brighter." 

It  will  be  observed  that  Bartram  in  speaking  of  the  smallness 
of  the  women  of  some  of  the  tribes  states  that,  as  he  had  not  seen 
the  Chickasaw  women,  he  could  not  speak  as  to  them,  but 
Cushman  knew  them  well  during  a  long  life,  and  of  them  (p.  448) 
he  says : 

"The  ancient  Chickasaws  were  deservedly  celebrated  for 
their  handsome  young  women;  and  seldom  have  I  looked  upon 
such  specimens  of  female  grace  and  loveliness  as  I  have  seen 
among  the  Chickasaws  three-quarters  of  a  century  ago  in  their 
former  homes  east  of  the  Mississippi  River,  nor  do  they  fall 
much  below  at  the  present  day.  Their  eyes  were  dark  and  full, 
and  their  countenances  like  their  native  clime — always  beaming 
with  sunshine — whose  sympathetic  smiles  chased  fatigue  away 
and  changed  the  night  of  melancholy  into  day.  They  were  truly 
beautiful  and,  best  of  all,  unconsciously  so.  Oft  was  I  at  a  loss 
which  most  to  admire — the  graceful  and  seemingly  perfect 
forms,  finely  chiseled  features,  lustrous  eyes,  and  flowing  hair,  or 
that  soft,  winning  artlessness  which  was  so  pre-eminently  theirs." 

The  Chickasaw  women  were  of  good  size,  as  well  as  beautiful, 
and  shared  with  their  men  that  martial  spirit  which  was  such  a 
distinctive  characteristic  of  the  Chickasaws,  referring  to  which 
Adair  (p.  319)  says: 

176 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"It  is  usual  for  the  women  to  sing  the  enlivening  war  songs 
in  the  time  of  an  attack;  and  it  inflames  the  men's  spirits  so 
highly  that  they  become  as  fierce  as  lions.  I  never  knew  an  in- 
stance of  the  Indians  running  off,  though  from  a  numerous 
enemy,  and  leaving  their  women  and  children  to  their  bar- 
barous hands." 

That  human  nature  has  been  and  is  about  the  same, 
in  all  parts  of  the  world  and  among  all  womankind  as 
well  as  mankind,  is  evident  from  the  fact,  as  stated  by 
Adair,  that  the  Chickasaw  women,  being  conscious  of  the 
exquisite  beauty  of  their  forms,  sometimes  carelessly  and 
coquettishly  allowed  their  drapery  to  so  hang  as  to  half  conceal 
and  half  reveal  the  symmetry  of  their  limbs  slightly  above  the 
knee. 

The  foregoing  lines  were  written  at  Oakland,  California, 
where  I  was  sojourning  for  a  short  while,  when  all  of  that  country 
was  on  the  tiptoe  of  expectancy  in  anticipation  of  the  arrival 
in  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  of  the  great  armada  of  the  Pacific 
naval  fleet,  the  largest  assemblage  of  American  war  vessels  in 
our  long  history;  and  these  vessels  were  scheduled  to  arrive  in  a 
few  days,  that  is,  September  I,  1919.  Every  form  of  entertain- 
ment for  the  visitors,  from  Secretary  Daniels  down  to  the 
Jackies,  was  being  arranged,  among  them  being  a  proposed  bare- 
foot dance  in  Grecian  costume  by  the  girls  of  exclusive  Berkley; 
but  the  Berkley  mothers  were  determined  to  protect  the  "morals" 
of  the  Jackies,  and  were  endeavoring  to  have  the  dance  "tabooed." 
There  was  much  in  the  press  pro  and  con,  and  among  them  a 
correspondent  of  one  of  the  principal  papers,  wisely  concealing 
his  identity  under  the  non  de  plume  of  "Artist,"  after  quoting  the 
girls  as  saying  that  the  dance  is  "art  of  the  highest  form,"  and 
that  "the  boys  were  not  going  to  see  the  dancers,  they  are  going 
to  see  the  dance,"  answered  rather  jocosely,  "Maybe,  girls, 
maybe";  and  that  "the  only  art  likely  to  be  lost  sight  of  in  the 
shuffle  is  the  art  of  modesty." 

Pickett  (pp.  58,  59)   says: 

177 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"The  Indians  of  Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia,  and  Missis- 
sippi were  so  similar  in  form,  mode  of  living,  and  general  habits, 
in  the  time  of  De  Soto  and  of  others  who  succeeded  him  in  pene- 
trating these  wilds,  that  they  will  all  be  treated,  on  the  pages 
of  this  chapter,  as  one  people.  The  color  was  like  that  of  the 
Indians  of  our  day.  The  males  were  admirably  proportioned, 
athletic,  active,  and  graceful  in  their  movements,  and  possessed 
open  and  manly  countenances.  The  females,  not  inferior  in  form, 
were  smaller,  and  many  of  them  beautiful.  No  ugly  or  ill-formed 
Indians  were  seen,  except  at  the  town  of  Tula,  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi." 

After  the  Chickasaws  had  ceded  all  of  their  rights  in  West 
Tennessee,  and  it  was  being  settled  by  the  whites,  Williams  in 
his  Old  Times  in  West  Tennessee  (p.  69)  says  of  the  Chickasaws 
that  they  were  proverbially  polite,  friendly,  and  wholly  in- 
offensive. To  the  nearest  settlers  they  would  bring  in  the  finest 
haunches  of  venison,  fat  gobblers,  and  bear  meat.  They  hunted 
for  the  most  part  for  the  peltries,  curing  only  as  many  venison 
hams  as  they  could  conveniently  pack  away  on  their  ponies. 


Practically  all  travelers  and  observers  state  that  they  never 
saw  among  the  Indians  a  hunchback,  club-footed,  or  otherwise 
naturally  deformed  Indian.  It  is  generally  believed  that  upon  the 
birth  of  every  Indian  child  it  was  carefully  examined,  and  if  it 
was  found  to  be  in  any  manner  deformed,  it  was  not  allowed  to 
live,  because  they  thought  the  deformity  was  an  unmistakable 
token  of  divine  displeasure,  and  that  it  was  best  for  the  child  and 
the  tribe  to  thus  dispose  of  the  unfortunate  at  its  birth.  This 
reminds  us  of  similar  customs  among  the  ancient  Greeks,  and  of 
the  rather  acrimonious  discussion  in  the  press  recently  relative 
to  the  advice  given  by  an  eminent  physician  to  summarily 
dispose  of  a  new-born  infant,  which  could  neither  enjoy  health 
nor  possess  a  sound  mind. 

Nor  was  this  the  only  method  of  weeding  out  the  mental 
and  bodily  unfit  Indians;  for  Pickett  (p.  106)  and  Lawson  (p.  380) 

178 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

both  set  out  at  some  length  the  manner  of  initiation  of  the  young 
men  and  women  into  full  fellowship,  Lawson  calling  it  an  abom- 
inable custom,  which  continued  for  weeks  and  sometimes  for 
months.  The  young  men  and  women,  though  separately  initiated, 
were  placed  in  large  dark  houses,  where  they  were  nearly  starved, 
and  were  compelled  to  drink  certain  nauseous  decoctions  which, 
in  some  instances,  made  them  raving  maniacs,  and  from  the 
hardships  of  the  initiation  many  died,  while  others  made  their 
escape.  Lawson  thus  states  the  reasons  given  by  the  Indians  for 
this  custom: 

"Now  the  savages  say  if  it  was  not  for  this,  they  could  never 
keep  their  youth  in  subjection ;  besides  that  it  hardens  them  ever 
after  to  fatigues  of  war,  hunting,  and  all  manner  of  hardship, 
which  their  way  of  living  exposes  them  to.  Besides,  they  add, 
that  it  carries  off  those  infirm,  weak  bodies  that  would  have 
been  only  a  burden  and  disgrace  to  their  nation,  and  saves  the 
victuals  and  clothing  for  better  people  that  would  have  been 
expended  on  such  useless  creatures." 

Private  Character  of  the  Chickasaws— 

Bartram  (pp.  487,  488)  says: 

"If  we  consider  them  with  respect  to  their  private  character, 
or  in  a  moral  view,  they  must,  I  think,  claim  our  approbation,  if 
we  divest  ourselves  of  prejudice  and  think  freely.  As  moral  men 
they  certainly  stand  in  no  need  of  European  civilization. 

"They  are  just,  honest,  liberal,  and  hospitable  to  strangers; 
considerate,  loving,  and  affectionate  to  their  wives  and  relations; 
fond  of  their  children;  industrious,  frugal,  temperate,  and  per- 
severing; charitable  and  forbearing.  I  have  been  weeks  and 
months  amongst  them  and  in  their  towns,  and  never  observed 
the  least  sign  of  contention  or  wrangling:  never  saw  an  instance 
of  an  Indian  beating  his  wife,  or  even  reproving  her  in  anger. 
In  this  case  they  stand  as  examples  of  reproof  to  the  most  civil- 
ized nations,  as  not  being  defective  in  justice,  gratitude,  and 
good  understanding;  for  indeed  their  wives  merit  their  esteem 
and  the  most  gentle  treatment,  they  being  industrious,  frugal, 
careful,  loving,  and  affectionate. 

179 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"The  Muscogulges  are  more  volatile,  sprightly,  and  talka- 
tive than  their  Northern  neighbors,  the  Cherokees;  and,  though 
far  more  distant  from  the  white  settlements  than  any  nation  east 
of  the  Mississippi  or  Ohio,  appear  evidently  to  have  made  greater 
advances  towards  the  refinements  of  true  civilization,  which 
cannot,  in  the  least  degree,  be  attributed  to  the  good  examples 
of  the  white  people." 

Upon  this  same  subject  Lawson  (pp.  320,  321)  says: 

"They  will  endure  a  great  many  misfortunes,  losses,  and 
disappointments  without  showing  v themselves,  in  the  least, 
vexed  or  uneasy.  When  they  go  by  water,  if  there  proves  a  head 
wind,  they  never  vex  and  fret  as  the  Europeans  do,  and  let  what 
misfortune  come  to  them  as  will  or  can  happen,  they  never 
relent.  Besides,  there  is  one  vice  very  common  everywhere, 
which  I  never  found  amongst  them,  which  is,  envying  other  men's 
happiness,  because  their  station  is  not  equal  to,  or  above  their 
neighbor's.  Of  this  sin  I  cannot  say  I  ever  saw  an  example, 
though  they  are  a  people  that  set  as  great  a  value  upon  them- 
selves as  any  sort  of  men  in  the  world,  upon  which  account  they 
find  something  valuable  in  themselves  above  riches.  Thus,  he 
that  is  a  good  warrior  is  the  proudest  creature  living;  and  he  that 
is  an  expert  hunter  is  esteemed  by  the  people  and  himself;  yet 
all  these  are  natural  virtues  and  gifts,  and  not  riches,  which  are 
as  often  in  the  possession  of  a  fool  as  a  wise  man.  Several  of  the 
Indians  are  possessed  of  a  great  many  skins,  wampum,  ammuni- 
tion, and  what  other  things  are  esteemed  riches  amongst  them; 
yet  such  an  Indian  is  no  more  esteemed  amongst  them  than  any 
other  ordinary  fellow,  provided  he  has  no  personal  endowments 
which  are  the  ornaments  that  must  gain  him  an  esteem  among 
them;  for  a  great  leader  amongst  the  Indians  is  no  otherwise 
respected  and  esteemed  than  a  man  that  strains  his  wits  and 
fatigues  himself  to  furnish  others  with  necessaries  of  life  that  live 
much  easier  and  enjoy  more  of  the  world  than  he  himself  does 
with  all  his  pelf. 

"If  they  are  taken  captives  and  expect  a  miserable  exit,  they 
sing;  if  death  approach  them  in  sickness,  they  are  not  afraid  of 
it;  nor  are  they  ever  heard  to  say,  'Grant  me  some  time.'  They 
know  by  instinct,  and  daily  example,  that  they  must  die;  where- 

180 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

fore  they  have  a  great  and  noble  gift  to  submit  to  everything  that 
happens,  and  value  nothing  that  attacks  them." 

The  Chickasaws  were  conspicuous  for  possessing  the  noble 
traits  as  described  above,  which  is  attested  by  every  observant 
writer  upon  the  subject. 

Language  of  the  Chickasaws— 

Bartram  (p.  517),  after  stating  that  the  language  of  the 
Chickasaws  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Muskhogean  family,  says 
that  their  language  is  very  agreeable  to  the  ear,  courteous, 
gentle,  and  musical ;  that  the  letter  r  is  not  found  in  one  word  of 
their  language. 

That  the  women  in  particular  speak  so  fine  and  musically  as 
to  represent  the  singing  of  birds;  and  when  heard  and  not  seen, 
one  might  imagine  it  to  be  the  prattling  of  little  children. 

The  men's  voices  were  stronger  and  more  sonorous,  but  not 
harsh,  and  in  no  instance  guttural. 

DuPratz  settled  among  the  Natchez  Indians  as  early  as  1720, 
was  engaged  in  the  wars  resulting  in  the  extermination  of  that 
splendid  tribe,  and  was  a  contemporary  of  the  wars  of  the  French 
in  their  attempted  extermination  of  the  Chickasaws,  and  wrote 
fully  of  the  same,  as  we  will  see  in  the  next  chapter;  and  probably 
no  one  had  a  better  means  of  knowing  the  Chickasaws  and  the 
extent  to  which  their  language  was  spoken  by  other  Indian 
nations  than  he. 

Speaking  of  the  Chickasaws  (pp.  310,  311)  DuPratz  says: 

"The  nation  of  the  Chickasaws  is  very  warlike.  The  men 
have  very  regular  features,  are  large,  well-shaped,  and  neatly 
dressed;  they  are  fierce,  and  have  a  high  opinion  of  themselves. 
They  seem  to  be  the  remains  of  a  populous  nation  whose  warlike 
disposition  had  prompted  them  to  invade  several  nations,  whom 
they  have  indeed  destroyed,  but  not  without  diminishing  their 
own  numbers  by  those  expeditions.  What  induces  me  to  believe 
that  this  nation  has  been  formerly  very  considerable  is  that  the 
nations  who  border  upon  them,  and  whom  I  have  just  mentioned, 

181 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

speak  the   Chickasaw  language,   though  somewhat  corrupted, 
and  those  who  speak  it  best  value  themselves  upon  it." 

Or,  stated  in  other  words,  the  Chickasaws  imposed  their 
language  on  adjoining  Indians,  and  it  was  a  badge  of  honor 
among  them  to  be  able  to  speak  in  the  language  of  the  haughty 
Chickasaws. 

Captain  Bernard  Romans,  who  visited  the  Chickasaws  in 
November  of  1771,  after  stating  that  the  Chickasaws  were  cruel, 
insolent,  and  haughty,  adds  (p. 59)  that,  although  it  was  one  of 
the  smallest  nations,  still  it  was  regarded  as  the  mother  nation 
on  this  part  of  the  continent,  and  that  their  language  was  adopted 
universally  by  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  Western  tribes. 

Nuttall  (p.  288)  says: 

"The  language  of  the  Chickasaws,  it  appears,  was  not 
unknown  on  the  western  side  of  the  Mississippi;  the  Caddoes  or 
Cadodaquoix,  divided  into  several  branches,  as  well  as  the 
Natchitoches,  although  possessed  of  a  peculiar  language,  as  well 
as  all  the  Indians  of  Louisiana,  generally,  were  more  or  less 
acquainted  with  the  Chickasaw  or  Mobilian." 

Pickett  (p.  133)  and  practically  all  other  writers  are  in 
accord  with  the  above  authorities,  some  saying  that  the  Chicka- 
saw was  the  trade  language  in  general  use  up  and  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  its  tributaries. 

Roosevelt  (Vol.  1,  p.  61)  states  that  while  the  whole  Chick- 
asaw nation  never  probably  exceeded  four  thousand  souls,  that 
it  was  the  only  one  closely  knit  together,  and  that  the  whole 
tribe  acted  in  unison  as  one  man. 

This  undoubtedly  was  one  of  the  main  reasons  why  they 
were  never  conquered,  and  why  they  imposed  their  language  so 
universally  on  all  neighboring  tribes. 

Their  Dwelling  Houses— 

The  common  belief  that  the  Chickasaws  lived  in  skin 
tepees  or  in  the  open  is  a  great  misapprehension,  for,  upon  the 

182 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

first  discovery  of  them  by  the  De  Soto  expedition,  they  were 
found  living  in  houses,  with  outhouses  for  the  storing  of  their  grain 
and  provisions  in  every  way  suitable  to  their  wants  and  situa- 
tion. The  Gentleman  of  Elvas  (p.  53)  informs  us  that  through- 
out the  cold  country  every  Indian  had  a  winter  house,  plastered 
inside  and  out,  with  a  very  small  door,  which  was  closed  at  dark, 
and  a  fire  being  made  within,  it  remained  heated  like  an  oven,  so 
that  clothing  was  not  needed  during  the  night-time.  He  had  like- 
wise a  house  for  summer,  and  near  it  a  kitchen,  where  fire  was 
made  and  bread  baked. 

Maize  was  kept  in  barbacoa,  which  was  a  house  with  wooden 
sides,  like  a  room,  raised  aloft  on  four  posts,  and  had  a  floor  of 
cane.  The  difference  between  the  houses  of  the  masters,  or 
principal  men,  and  those  of  the  common  people  was,  besides 
being  larger  than  the  others,  they  had  deep  balconies  on  the 
front  side,  with  cane  seats,  like  benches;  and  about  are  many 
barbacoas,  in  which  they  brought  together  the  tribute  their 
people  gave  them  of  maize,  skins  of  deer,  and  blankets  of  the 
country.  These  were  like  shawls,  some  of  them  made  from  the 
inner  bark  of  trees,  and  others  of  a  grass  resembling  nettle, 
which,  by  treading  out,  became  like  flax.  The  women  used  them 
for  covering,  wearing  one  about  the  body  from  the  waist  down- 
ward, and  another  over  the  shoulders,  with  the  right  arm  left 
free,  after  the  manner  of  the  gypsies. 

The  men  wore  but  one,  which  they  carried  over  the  shoulder 
in  the  same  way,  the  loins  being  covered  with  a  bragueiro  of 
deer-skin,  after  the  fashion  of  the  woolen  breechcloth  that  was 
once  the  custom  of  Spain.  The  skins  were  well  dressed,  the 
color  being  given  to  them  that  was  desired,  and  in  such  perfec- 
tion, that,  when  of  vermilion,  they  looked  like  very  fine  red 
broadcloth ;  and  when  black,  the  sort  in  use  for  shoes,  they  were 
of  the  purest.     The  same  hues  were  given  to  blankets. 

Elvas  added  that  the  Indians  kept  their  houses  clean,  and  Law- 
son  was  astonished  to  observe  how  sweet  they  kept  them,  which  he 
said  would  not  be  possible  if  Europeans  lived  in  the  same  manner. 

183 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Adair  who  first  went  as  an  English  trader  among  the  Chick- 
asaws  in  1744,  and  for  years  lived  with  and  knew  them,  confirms 
Elvas  (p.  406),  and  adds  that  every  dwelling  house  had  a  small 
field  pretty  close  to  it;  and,  as  soon  as  the  spring  of  the  year 
admitted,  there  they  planted  a  variety  of  large  and  small  beans, 
squashes,  peas,  pumpkins,  and  the  smaller  sort  of  Indian  corn, 
which  usually  ripened  in  two  months  from  the  time  it  was 
planted;  though  it  was  called  by  the  English  the  six  weeks'  corn. 
Around  this  small  farm,  they  fastened  stakes  in  the  ground,  and 
tied  a  couple  of  long  split  hickory,  or  white  oak  saplings,  at  proper 
distances  to  keep  off  the  horses;  though  they  could  leap  fences, 
yet  many  of  the  old  horses  would  creep  through  the  inclosures 
almost  as  readily  as  swine,  to  the  great  regret  of  the  women, 
who  scolded  and  gave  them  ill  names,  calling  them  ugly 
mad  horses,  and  bidding  them  "go  along,  and  be  sure  to  keep 
away." 

Cushman  (p.  577)  says  the  Southern  Indians  had  spades  and 
shovels  made  of  cedar,  picks,  axes,  and  hoes-  made  of  stone, 
spoons  made  of  horn,  and  mortars  and  pestles  made  of  stone 
with  which  they  prepared  their  corn  for  bread,  and  added  that 
many  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  used  them  to  his  day. 


Closely  connected  with  the  character  of  the  dwellings  is 
that  of  the  character  of  their  towns,  or  assemblage  of  villages,  as 
they  appeared  to  Romans  in  177 1.  He  says  (p.  62)  that  they 
were  then  living  in  a  large  Savannah,  about  three  miles  in  diame- 
ter, and  though  the  soil  looked  barren,  still  it  produced  a  grass  of 
which  the  cattle  were  so  fond  as  to  leave  the  richest  cane  brakes 
for  it,  and  that  they  thrived  to  admiration  thereon,  and  that 
there  was  a  profusion  of  wild  strawberries  in  season. 

In  this  expanse  they  had  one  town  of  the  length  of  about  one 
mile  and  a  half,  though  very  narrow  and  irregular;  and  this  town 
was  divided  into  seven  parts,  which  Romans  and  Pickett  (p.  134) 
say  were  named  as  follows: 

184 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Mellattau,  hat  and  feather. 

Chatelan,  copper  town. 

Chuckafalaya,  long  town. 

Hickihaw,  stand  still. 

Chucalissa,  great  town. 

Tuckahaw,  a  certain  weed. 

Ashwickbooma,  red  grass. 

The  last  was  once  well  fortified  with  palisades,  and  there 
they  defeated  D'Artaguette. 

Adair's  description  of  the  Chickasaw  country  is  lengthy,  but 
not  as  clear  as  it  might  be,  and  is  thus  condensed  by  Gatschet 
(p.  91): 

"The  Chikkasah  country  lies  in  about  thirty-five  degrees 
north  latitude,  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles 
from  the  eastern  side  of  the  Mississippi       *     *     * 

"About  half  way  from  Mobile  to  the  Illinois,  etc.  The 
Chikkasah  are  now  well  settled  between  the  heads  of  two  of  the 
most  western  branches  of  Mobile  (now  Tombigbee)  River  and 
within  twelve  miles  of  Tahre  Hache  (Tallahatchie)  *  *  *  In 
1720  they  had  four  contiguous  settlements,  which  lay  nearly  in 
the  form  of  three  parts  of  a  square,  only  that  the  eastern  side  was 
five  miles  shorter  than  the  western,  with  the  open  part  toward  the 
Choktah.  One  was  called  Yanena,  about  a  mile  wide  and  six 
miles  long,  *  *  *;  another  was  ten  miles  long,  and  from  one 
to  two  miles  broad.  The  towns  were  called  Shatara,  Chook- 
hereso,  Hykehah,  Tuskawillao,  and  Phalacheho.  The  other 
square,  Chookka  Pharaahor,  or  "The  Long  House,"  was  single 
and  ran  four  miles  in  length  and  one  mile  in  breadth.  It  was 
more  populous  than  the  whole  nation  and  contains  at  present 
*     *     *     scarcely  450  warriors." 

The  great  length  in  miles  given  by  Adair  would  ordinarily 
imply  a  much  larger  population  than  the  Chickasaws  really  had. 
The  explanation  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  Chickasaw  houses 
were  ordinarily  not  built  close  together,  but  usually  each  house 
was  separate  and  apart  from  the  others,  with  a  plot  of  ground 
near  for  such  cultivation  as  they  desired. 

185 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

No  doubt  experience  had  taught  them  also  that  this  practice 
made  for  good  health  and  cleanliness. 

They  had,  of  course,  in  times  of  invasion,  their  palisades  or 
fortified  strongholds,  as  we  will  see  in  Chapter  IX,  when  their 
country  was  invaded  by  the  French  in  1736. 

Courtship  and  Marriage— 

The  mating  of  the  young  man  and  woman  has  been,  is,  and 
always  will  be  a  matter  of  the  profoundest  importance,  not  only 
to  the  immediate  contracting  parties,  but  to  the  public  at  large. 
Its  importance  was  fully  appreciated  by  the  Chickasaws,  who 
had,  in  all  probability,  a  clearer  insight  into  its  real  significance 
than  any  other  tribe  on  the  continent.  So  high  an  authority  as 
Judge  Haywood  in  his  Natural  and  Aboriginal  History  of  Tennes- 
see (p.  291),  now  a  very  rare  book,  states  that  no  Chickasaw 
young  woman  was  ever  known  to  give  birth  to  a  child  before 
wedlock.  Of  what  civilized  or  Christian  nation  can  this  be 
affirmed? 

Cushman  (p.  498),  who  knew  the  Chickasaws  so  well,  thus 
succinctly  states  courtship  and  marriage  among  them:  The 
ancient  manner  of  Chickasaw  courtship  was  not  very  taxing  upon 
the  sensitiveness  of  the  bashful,  perspective  groom;  since,  when 
he  wished  to  make  known  to  any  young  lady  of  his  tribe  the  emo- 
tions of  his  heart  in  regard  to  her,  he  had  to  send  but  a  small 
bundle  of  clothing  carefully  tied  up  in  a  large  cotton  handker- 
chief (similar  in  dimensions  to  a  medium-sized  table  cloth,  very 
common  in  those  primitive  days  of  ignorant  bliss,  when  fashion 
and  folly  were  unknown),  by  his  mother  or  sister,  to  the  girl  he 
desired  to  make  his  wife.  This  treasure  of  acknowledged  love 
was  immediately  taken  possession  by  the  mother  of  the  wished- 
for  bride  and  kept  for  a  few  days  before  presenting  it  to  her 
daughter;  and  when  presented,  if  accepted,  it  was  a  bona  fide 
acknowledgment  on  her  part  of  her  willingness  to  accept  him 
as  her  husband,  of  which  confession  he  was  at  once  duly  notified; 
if  otherwise,  the  subject  was  there  and  then  forever  dropped,  and 

186 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  disappointed  and  disconsolate  swain  found  consolation  in  the 
privilege  in  all  such  cases,  of  presenting  another  bundle  of 
clothes  wrapped  in  a  similar  mantle  of  cotton,  to  some  other 
forest  beauty  in  which  his  country  so  profusely  abounded.  But 
best  of  all,  the  swain,  whether  bold  or  timid,  was  always  spared 
that  fearful  and  dreaded  ordeal  of  soliciting  the  "yes"  of  the 
"old  folks,"  as  his  mother  took  that  imperative  and  obnoxious 
duty  upon  herself,  and  was  almost  always  successful  in  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  desired  object.  The  coast  being  clear  of 
all  breakers,  the  elated  lover  painted  his  face  in  exact  conformity 
to  the  latest  and  most  approved  style,  donned  his  best  suit,  and 
sought  the  home  of  his  betrothed  with  fluttering  heart,  who, 
strictly  on  the  lookout,  met  him  a  few  rods  from  the  door,  and 
proudly  and  heroically  escorted  him  into  the  house  where  they, 
themselves,  in  the  presence  of  friends  and  relatives,  performed 
the  marriage  ceremony  by  the  man  presenting  the  woman  with 
a  ham  of  venison;  or  a  part  of  some  other  eatable  animal  of  the 
chase;  she  at  the  same  time  presenting  him  with  an  ear  of  corn 
or  sack  of  potatoes,  all  of  which  betokened  the  man  should 
provide  the  household  with  meat,  and  the  woman  with  bread. 
Thus  they  were  made  man  and  wife,  and  so  considered  by  all. 

The  Marital  Relation  in  Other  Respects,  and 
Chickasaw  Nomenclature — 

Fidelity  to  her  husband  was  one  of  the  virtues  of  the 
Chickasaw  married  woman,  but  her  husband  could  put  her 
aside,  though  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  the  men,  this  was 
rarely  done. 

Infidelity  was  followed  by  the  severest  punishment,  both  to 
the  man  and  the  woman,  though  the  punishment  of  the  woman 
was  more  severe  than  that  of  the  man.  When  the  crime  was 
proven  against  the  woman,  the  enraged  husband,  accompanied 
by  some  of  his  relatives,  would  surprise  and  beat  her  most  un- 
mercifully, and  sometimes  cut  off  her  hair,  or  nose,  or  lip.  It 
is  worthy  of  note  that  those  married  women  who  thus  became 

187 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

disfigured  were  the  handsomest  and  the  most  tempting,  which 
exposed  them  to  the  snares  of  the  young  men. 

However,  they  did  not  fail  also  to  punish  the  guilty  man,  for 
the  Chickasaws  commonly  began  with  the  adulterer,  because,  of 
the  two,  he  was  more  capable  of  making  his  escape;  they  generally 
attacked  him  at  night,  by  surprise,  least  he  should  make  a  des- 
perate resistance,  and  blood  be  shed  to  cry  for  blood.  They  fell 
on  eagerly  and  mercilessly,  whooping  their  revengeful  noise,  and 
threshing  their  captive  with  their  long-knobbed  hoop-flails;  some 
over  his  head  and  face;  others  on  his  shoulders  and  back;  his 
sides,  legs,  and  arms  were  gashed  all  over,  and  at  last,  if  he 
happily  seemed  to  be  insensible  of  pain,  then  they  cut  off  his 
ears. 

It  would  seem  that  the  Indians,  as  the  white,  punish  the 
women  more  severely  than  the  men;  their  reasons  therefor,  as 
given  to  Adair  (p.  145),  are  as  follows: 

"When  I  asked  the  Chickkasah  the  reason  of  the  inequality 
of  their  marriage-law,  in  punishing  the  weaker  passive  party, 
and  exempting  the  stronger,  contrary  to  reason  and  justice;  they 
told  me  it  had  been  so  a  considerable  time,  because  their  land 
being  a  continual  seat  of  war,  and  the  lurking  enemy  forever 
pelting  them  without,  and  the  women  decoying  them  within,  if 
they  put  such  old  cross  laws  of  marriage  in  force,  all  their  beloved 
brisk  warriors  would  soon  be  spoiled,  and  their  habitations 
turned  to  a  wild  waste." 

Adultery  was  severely  punished  by  all  the  Indian  tribes, 
according  to  Adair  (p.  145),  except  the  Cherokees,  whom  he 
states  lived  under  a  petticoat  and  allowed  their  women  full 
liberty. 

When  a  woman's  husband  died,  the  widow  was  compelled  to 
go  into  mourning,  usually  for  four  years;  three  years  under  the 
Chickasaw  laws  and  customs.  Every  evening,  and  at  the  very 
dawn  of  day,  for  the  first  year  of  her  widowhood,  she  was  obliged 
through  the  fear  of  shame  to  lament  her  loss  in  very  pronounced 

188 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  audible  strains,  the  particulars  of  which  are  set  forth  by 
Adair  (p.  146).  For  a  considerable  time  after  the  death  of  her 
husband  the  widow  was  required  to  sit  out  day  and  night  in 
front  of  his  house  in  all  kinds  of  weather  and  to  go  through  certain 
ceremonies,  which  were  so  severe  as  often  to  waste  her  person 
away. 

After  the  expiration  of  one  year,  if  the  brother  of  the  deceased 
husband  saw  fit  to  cohabit  with  the  widow,  then  she  thereby 
became  his  wife,  and  Adair  says  that  sometimes  the  widows 
not  only  made  themselves  exceedingly  pleasant  to  their  brothers- 
in-law,  but  would  sometimes  get  them  drunk  in  order  to  make 
them  yield  to  their  blandishments.  And  then  again,  when  an 
obstinate  brother-in-law  refused  to  be  attracted  by  their  charms, 
they  would  set  upon  him  and  beat  him,  reviling  him  with  the 
worst  kinds  of  epithets. 

Morgan  in  his  Ancient  Society  (which  came  out  in  1877, 
p.  163)  states  that  the  Chickasaws  were  thus  divided  into 
twelve  gentes,  arranged  into  two  phraties,  as  follows: 

I.     Panther  (Koi)  Phatry 

(1)  Koninchush,  Wild  Cat;  (2)  Hatafushi,  Bird;  (3)  Nunni, 
Fish ;  (4)  Issi,  Deer. 

II.     Spanish  (Ishpanee)  Phatry 

(1)  Shauee,  Raccoon;  (2)  Ishpanee,  Spanish;  (3)  Mingko, 
Royal;  (4)  Hushkoni,  Skunk;  (5)  Tunni,  Squirrel;  (6)  Hochon- 
chabba,  Alligator;  (7)  Nashoba,  Wolf;  (8)  Chuhhla,  Black-bird. 

Gaschet  in  his  Migration  Legends  of  the  Creek  Indians  (p.  96) 
states,  as,  indeed,  Morgan  does,  that  Morgan  got  his  information 
from  Rev.  Charles  C.  Copeland,  an  American  missionary  residing 
with  this  tribe,  and  adds  that 

"Copeland  states  the  descent  is  in  the  female  line,  that  no 
marriage  takes  place  among  individuals  of  the  same  gens,  and 

189 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

that  property  as  well  as  the  office  of  chief  is  hereditary  in  the 
gens." 

The  following  list  inserted  below  will  how  show  considerably 
he  differs  from  Gibbs: 

Panther  Phatry  (Koa).  Its  gentes:  (i)  Kointchush,  Wild  Cat; 
(2)   Fushi,  Bird;  (3)  Nanni,  Fish;  (4)  Issi,  Deer; 

Spanish  Phatry  (Ishpani).  Its  gentes:  (1)  Shawi,  Raccoon; 
(2)  Ishpani,  Spanish;  (3)  Mingo,  Royal;  (4)  Hushkoni,  Skunk; 
(5)  Tunni,  Squirrel;  (6)  Hotchon  tchapa,  Alligator;  (7)  Nashoba, 
Wolf;  (8)  Tchuhla,  Black-bird. 

Surprise  has  naturally  been  expressed  because  the  second 
phatry  was  called  Spanish,  and  the  explanation  usually  given  is 
that  this  name  was  adopted  after  the  visit  of  De  Soto  and  his 
army  and  the  battle  therewith  in  1541.  This  is  no  doubt  true,  for 
this  memorable  episode  in  their  history  must  have  engraven  it- 
self upon  the  consciousness  of  the  Chickasaws. 

Referring  to  that  part  of  the  above  extract  from  Gatschet  in 
which  he  quotes  Copeland  as  saying  that  property,  as  well  as  the 
office  of  chief,  is  hereditary  in  the  gens,  if  he  means  to  say  that 
the  office  of  chief  was  hereditary  in  the  sense  that  the  office  of 
chief  descended  from  relative  to  relative  among  the  primitive 
Chickasaws,  either  in  the  male  or  female  line,  then  he  is  certainly 
mistaken.  I  have  seen  it  stated  that  leaders  were  chosen  from  a 
certain  gens,  or  phatry,  or  yakissah,  and  while  this  was  possibly 
true,  it  is  not  probable,  for  a  leader  was  always  chosen  on  his  own 
personal  achievements,  and  not  otherwise. 

While  a  chief  or  leader  was  respected,  honored,  and  obeyed 
as  such  in  the  council  or  in  the  performance  of  official  duties, 
still  the  Chickasaws  were  so  jealous  of  their  personal  liberty  that, 
in  their  domestic  affairs,  the  humblest  Chickasaw  was  the  peer 
of  the  greatest ;  as  witness  this  sentiment  expressed  by  Levi  Colbert 
(Yakni  Moma  Ubih)  in  his  public  reproof  to  General  Coffee,  as 
set  forth  in  Chapter  X,  and  to  the  circumstances  under  which  he 
was  raised  to  leadership,  as  set  forth  further  on  in  this  chapter. 

190 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  by  ancient  primitive  laws  the 
Chickasaws  were  wisely  prohibited  from  marrying  within 
certain  degrees  of  relationship;  and  accordingly  the  tribe  was 
divided  into  yakissah,  which  means  in  English,  here  stops. 
If  the  man  violated  the  law  by  marrying  a  woman  in  his  own 
yakissah,  he  forfeited  his  own  rights  and  privileges,  and  also 
those  of  his  children;  but  the  wife  forfeited  nothing. 

Like  some  other  primitive  peoples  descent  was  established 
through  the  female  line  rather  than  through  that  of  the  male, 
doubtless  based  upon  the  possibility  that  an  illegitimate  heir 
might  be  imposed  upon  the  father  by  a  wanton  wife,  which  could 
not  be  the  case  if  the  descent  was  traced  through  the  female  line. 
Cushman  says  (p.  528), 

"the  ties  of  kinship  converged  upon  each  other  until  they 
all  met  in  the  granddaughter;  and  thus  every  grandson  and 
granddaughter  became  the  grandson  and  granddaughter  of  the 
whole  tribe ;  since  all  the  uncles  of  a  given  person  were  considered 
as  his  father  also;  and  all  the  mothers'  sisters  were  mothers; 
the  cousins,  as  brothers  and  sisters;  the  nieces,  as  daughters; 
and  the  nephews  as  sons." 

As  pointed  out  by  McLaughlin  (p.  225)  this  has  led  to  great 
confusion  in  tracing  relationship  among  North  American  Indians, 
and  the  federal  government  has  endeavored  in  recent  years  to  intro- 
duce a  simpler  system  of  nomenclature  among  the  Western  Indians. 

It  is  obvious,  however,  that  this  was  of  little  consequence  to 
the  original  Chickasaws,  because  laws  of  descent  were  of  very 
slight  importance  to  them,  as  in  most  cases  the  chief  property 
of  the  warrior  was  interred  with  his  bones,  and  to  them  it  was 
incomprehensible  how  the  ownership  of  property  should  make  the 
owner  thereof  entitled  to  the  least  consideration  in  respect 
thereto;  a  principle  of  sociology  which  might  well  be  followed 
among  so-called  civilized  and  enlightened  peoples. 

But  to  the  Chickasaws  this  mode  of  reckoning  relationship 
had  a  very  salutary  effect  on  the  tribe,  in  that  it  bound  each 

191 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

member  not  only  to  the  nearest  blood  kin,  by  the  endearing 
terms  of  father,  mother,  son,  daughter,  brother,  sister,  etc.,  but 
bound  each  by  the  same  endearing  terms  to  the  whole  nation. 
Thus  they  were  so  bound  together  as  to  create  unity  of  thought 
and  purpose;  and,  as  pointed  out  by  Mr.  Roosevelt,  the  Chicka- 
saws  excelled  all  other  of  their  confederates  in  this  respect. 


A  child  was  not  always  named  at  its  birth,  but  often  was; 
and  the  name  when  given  might  be  suggested  by  some  circum- 
stance at  or  after  its  birth.  Thus  we  learn  from  McLaughlin 
(p.  223)  that  the  noted  Sioux  chief,  Rain-in-the  face,  was  given 
that  name  in  infancy,  because  the  mother  had  left  the  child 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree  strapped  to  a  board,  according  to 
custom,  while  she  was  busied  in  the  wigwam  with  household 
duties ;  while  all  at  once  a  neighboring  woman  ran  in  and  told  the 
mother  that  a  sudden  shower  was  raining  in  the  face  of  the 
papoose;  whereupon  the  father  exclaimed,  "It  is  a  sign;  let  him 
be  called  Rain-in-the-face."  While  this  is  his  name  in  English, 
we  are  assured  that  the  soft  Sioux  syllables  in  which  the  name 
was  pronounced  can  not  be  rendered  into  English  with  the  same 
soft,  musical  effect. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  translations  of  the  meaning  of 
Indian  names  into  English  cannot  be  happily  done,  as  in  the  fore- 
going instance;  but  worse  still  the  translations  often  give  a 
meaning  entirely  at  variance  with  its  real  meaning;  only  one 
instance  of  which  need  be  given.  A  few  years  ago  the  papers  had 
a  great  deal  to  say  about  Young-man-afraid-of-his-horses,  a 
conspicuous  warrior  of  the  West;  and  the  name  thus  rendered 
suggested  that,  when  a  young  man,  the  warrior  became  frightened 
or  startled  upon  a  stampede  of  his  horses,  or  some  like  episode. 
His  name  in  the  Indian  language  was  Tasunka-Kokipapi,  the 
real  meaning  of  which  in  English  is,  that  such  was  his  capacity 
in  battle  that  the  mere  sight  of  his  horses  inspired  fear  in  his 
enemies. 

192 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

A  Chickasaw  sometimes  had  a  name  bestowed  upon  him  for 
acts  of  heroism,  as  in  the  case  of  Levi  Colbert,  as  he  was  known 
to  the  Americans.  When  he  was  a  mere  youth,  a  party  of  Creek 
warriors  invaded  the  country  of  the  Chickasaws  while  all  the 
Chickasaw  warriors  were  from  home  on  a  hunting  excursion, 
so  that  the  women  and  children  stood  in  peril  of  a  wholesale 
massacre.  Young  Colbert  at  once  formed  the  old  men  and  boys 
into  a  war  party,  and  went  at  once  to  meet  the  invaders,  whom  he 
successfully  drew  into  an  artfully  planned  ambuscade,  all  of 
whom  were  put  to  death,  not  one  being  left  to  tell  the  story  of 
their  fate. 

The  Chickasaws  were  not  slow  to  detect  true  merit,  and 
when  the  warriors  came  home  and  the  story  of  the  heroic  deed 
was  established  after  a  careful  investigation,  then  in  solemn 
conclave,  with  all  the  sacred  services  of  the  Chickasaws,  the  hero 
was  given  the  title  of  Itta  WanibaMicco,  which  meant  in  English 
the  seat  occupied  by  the  ancient  Chickasaw  chief  in  council 
assembled,  and  he  became  one  of  their  great  leaders. 

This  is  the  same  Colbert  who  years  afterwards  sternly 
rebuked  General  John  Coffee  in  public  in  1832,  when  Coffee 
offered  to  bestow  upon  him  a  very  large  estate  in  the  articles  of 
the  proposed  treaty;  which  Colbert  very  properly  construed  in 
the  nature  of  a  bribe  to  procure  his  consent  to  the  treaty. 

The  Treatment  of  Children- 
According  to  Cushman  (pp.  488,  489),  the  greatest  care  was 
bestowed  upon  their  children  by  the  Chickasaw  mothers,  whom 
they  never  allowed  to  be  placed  upon  their  feet  before  the 
strength  of  their  limbs  would  safely  permit;  and  the  child  had 
free  access  to  the  maternal  breast  as  long  as  it  desired,  unless 
the  mother's  health  forbade  its  continuance.  Children  were 
never  whipped  by  the  parents,  but,  if  guilty  of  any  misdemeanor, 
were  sent  to  their  uncle  for  punishment,  who  only  inflicted  a 
severe  rebuke  or  imposed  upon  them  some  little  penance,  or, 
what  was  more  frequent,  made  appeals  to  their  feelings  of  honor 

193 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

or  shame.  When  the  boys  arrived  at  the  age  of  proper  discrimi- 
nation— so  considered  when  arrived  at  the  age  of  twelve  or 
fifteen  years — they  were  committed  to  the  instructions  of  the 
old  and  wise  men  of  the  village,  who,  at  various  intervals, 
instructed  them  in  all  the  necessary  knowledge  and  desired 
qualifications  to  constitute  them  successful  hunters  and  ac- 
complished warriors.  As  introductory  lessons  they  were  in- 
structed in  the  arts  of  swimming,  running,  jumping,  wrestling, 
using  the  bow  and  arrow;  also,  receiving  from  those  venerable 
tutors  those  precepts  of  morality  which  should  regulate  their 
conduct  when  arrived  at  manhood.  The  most  profound  respect 
was  paid  everywhere  to  the  oldest  person  in  every  family, 
whether  male  or  female,  and  whose  decisions  upon  all  disputed 
points  were  supreme  and  final,  and  were  received  with  cheerful 
and  implicit  obedience.  No  matter  how  distant  their  blood 
relations  might  be,  all  the  members  of  a  family  addressed  its 
head  as  father  or  mother,  as  the  case  might  be;  and  whenever 
they  meant  to  speak  of  him  (their  natural  father),  they  said, 
"My  real  father,"  in  contradistinction  to  that  of  father  applied 
to  the  chief  or  head  of  the  family. 

And  what  is  equally  important  and  a  very  interesting  trait 
of  character  among  the  ancient  Chickasaws  is  that  there  were 
among  them  no  orphans  in  the  full  sense  of  that  word  as  common- 
ly used.  It  is  true  that  fathers  and  mothers  died,  leaving  help- 
less children,  but  these  were  adopted  either  by  relations  or  other 
members  of  the  nation,  under  well  defined  and  understood  laws, 
according  to  which  the  adopted  child  became,  in  the  view  of 
the  Chickasaws,  as  much  a  child  of  that  family  as  those  who 
were  born  to  the  father  and  mother  thereof. 

Cushman  says  (p.  493)  that  he  bears  testimony  to  this 
noble  trait,  the  care  and  solicitude  for  helpless  orphanage,  from 
a  personal  experience  of  seventy-five  years,  and  adds: 

"I  have  seen,  time  and  again,  in  many  families  among  the 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  from  one  to  four  adopted  orphan 

1U 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

children;  and  they  were  adopted,  not  through  mercenary  motives 
— the  hope  of  gain — but  in  the  true  spirit  of  the  word,  actuated 
by  the  divine  principle  of  justice  and  compassion  for  the  father- 
less, motherless,  and  homeless,  adopted  in  the  full  meaning  and 
sense  of  the  word,  to  be  protected,  cared  for,  and  loved,  not  to 
be  enslaved  for  the  few  dollars  and  cents  that  anticipation 
whispered  would  be  made  out  of  them  by  adoption.  And  one 
might  live  a  lifetime  in  a  family  of  adopted  orphans,  and,  unless 
told,  he  would  not  even  suspect  but  that  all  the  children  were  of 
the  same  parentage." 

Food  Given  by  the  Indians  to  Civilization- 
It  may  be  well  at  the  outset  to  recall  that  to  the  new  world, 
and  the  Indians  thereof,  we  are  indebted  for  what  are  now  staple 
articles  of  food,  without  which  civilized  men  could  scarcely 
endure.  Indian  corn  or,  as  the  Spanish  called  it,  "maize,"  was 
first  found  in  use  by  the  Indians;  and  while  there  has  been  much 
discussion  as  to  its  origin,  we  know  that  it  was  extensively  culti- 
vated and  used  by  the  Chickasaw  Indians  when  De  Soto  entered 
their  country  in  December,  1540. 

The  time  of  the  year  when  the  new  corn  was  what  we  call 
roasting  ears  was  a  time  of  feasting  and  great  rejoicing,  and 
celebrated  with  religious  ceremonies  and  thanksgivings  to 
"The  Beloved  One  that  dwelleth  in  the  blue  skies"  for  re- 
membering and  blessing  the  red  men  by  quickening  the  seed 
cast  in  the  ground,  and  bringing  the  corn  into  fruition  in  the 
full  ear  for  the  sustenance  of  the  children  of  the  forest.  These 
ceremonies  were  of  the  deepest  religious  significance  to  the  Indians. 
What  a  priceless  gift  Indian  corn  has  been  to  civilized  man 
can  be  somewhat  realized  when  we  recall  the  momentous  call 
to  arms  by  President  Wilson,  April  6,  191 7,  in  aid  of  our  Allies 
who  were  staggering  under  the  blows  of  the  Germans  and  their 
Allies,  in  the  world-wide  conflict,  the  most  stupendous  in  the 
annals  of  the  world. 

At  once  a  call,  indeed  a  command,  came  from  Washington 
to  plant  more  corn,  with  the  result  that  the  crop  in  the  United 

195 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

States  alone  for  191 7  amounted  to  3,247,512,000  bushels,  with  an 
estimated  value  of  $4,871,268,000,  a  sum  so  large  that  it  can 
scarcely  be  comprehended.  Moreover,  we  know  that  if  the  crop 
of  that  year  had  been  a  failure,  starvation  would  have  prevailed 
in  England  and  France,  and  the  cause  of  the  Allies  would  have 
been  imperiled,  if  not  lost.  In  many  foreign  countries  corn  like- 
wise is  a  staple  article  of  food;  it  is  doubtless  the  most  valuable 
of  any  crop  raised  in  the  world;  and  certainly  by  far  the  most 
valuable  of  any  single  crop  grown  in  the  United  States. 

Both  the  white  potato  (misnamed  Irish  potato,  because 
without  it  Irishmen  could  not  endure)  and  the  yam,  or  what  we 
call  the  sweet  potato,  were  in  use  by  the  Indians,  and  were  gifts 
by  them  to  civilization.  The  crop  of  white  potatoes  in  the 
United  States  alone  for  1917  amounted  to  461,908,000  bushels, 
of  the  estimated  value  of  $1,152,500,000;  while  the  sweet  potato 
crop  was  88,150,000  bushels,  valued  at  $88,150,000;  and  while 
this  potato  has  heretofore  been  used  mostly  in  the  South,  its 
real  value  has  in  recent  years  been  so  clearly  shown  that  its  use  in 
the  North  is  growing  very  fast. 

It  is  likewise  well  known  that  the  white  potato  is  more  ex- 
tensively used  in  and  more  indispensable  to  many  European 
countries,  including  Germany,  than  to  America,  its  home. 

It  is  an  undeniable  fact  that  if  the  potato  crop  of  Germany 
for  1917,  or  previous  years  of  the  war,  had  been  an  entire  failure, 
then  this  would  have  brought  Germany  to  her  knees,  a  result  that 
most  of  the  great  nations  of  the  world  at  war  with  her  were  un- 
able to  bring  about  by  force  of  arms  during  four  years  of 
incessant  warfare. 

The  tomato  originated  in  the  Andean  mountains,  was  used 
by  the  Indians,  who  gave  it  to  civilization,  and  while  it  is  not  of 
that  commanding  importance  of  corn  and  potatoes,  it  is  now 
regarded  as  almost  an  indispensable  table  dish. 

What  would  Thanksgiving  Day  be  without  the  king  of  the 
gallinaceous  tribe  of  birds,  miscalled  the  turkey,  and  which  had 
nothing  to  do  either  with  Turkey  or  the  unspeakable  Turk? 

196 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Some  think  that  the  name  originated  from  one  of  its  calls  which 
resembles  the  repeated  word,  turk,  turk,  turk;  and  this  theory  is 
probably  correct. 

It  has  been  contended  by  enthusiastic  admirers  of  the  bird 
that  the  turkey  created  Thanksgiving  Day;  but  however  this 
may  be,  it  is  the  premier  table  bird  of  the  globe;  and  it  was  so 
plentiful  among  the  Chickasaw  Indians  that  Adair  says  he 
could  go  out  with  a  good  stout  stick  and  his  mastiff,  and  knock 
over  any  number  in  a  short  while,  no  gun  being  necessary  to 
kill  them. 

The  wild  turkey  was  so  numerous  that  the  Chickasaws  had 
no  occasion  to  raise  them;  and,  moreover,  the  wild  turkey  has  a 
delicacy  of  flavor  which  makes  it  superior  to  the  best  domestic 
turkey,  a  fact  attested  by  connoisseurs  at  the  present  time. 

While  on  the  subject  of  gifts  by  the  Indians  to  civilization, 
it  may  be  of  interest  to  recall  that  tobacco  likewise  falls  into  this 
class;  and  I  mention  it  last  and  regard  it  as  the  least  valuable  of 
all,  if,  indeed,  it  has  not  proven  to  be  a  positive  detriment  to 
mankind. 

Smoking  was  in  universal  use  among  the  Indians  who  used 
it  on  ceremonial  occasions  to  give  significance  to  the  matter  in 
hand,  and  as  a  solemn  act  attesting  the  verity  of  such  engage- 
ments as  were  then  concluded. 

Thus  in  the  consummation  of  treaties,  leagues  of  friendship, 
or  other  like  matters  of  great  import,  it  was  customary  for  the 
high  contracting  parties  to  attest  the  sincerity  of  their  motives 
by  smoking,  thus  sealing  their  engagements;  and  from  these  well 
known  facts  there  arose  the  well  known  phrase  of  smoking  the 
pipe  of  peace. 

I  think  it  may  be  said  that  before  the  advent  of  the  white 
man  the  Indians  were  temperate  in  the  use  of  all  things; 
but  the  bringing  of  the  accursed  intoxicating  drinks,  called 
by  the  Indians  "firewater"  and  like  evils  which  came  with  the 
whites,  carried  death  and  destruction  to  the  children  of  the 
forest. 

197 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  may  be  added  that  the  Indians  only  smoked,  and  did  not 
chew  tobacco,  it  being  left  for  the  civilized  white  man  to  invent 
that  filthy  habit,  as  well  as  the  making  and  dipping  of  snuff. 

Tobacco  is  generally  classed  as  a  stimulant  or  narcotic,  and 
its  use  among  all  men,  the  civilized  as  well  as  the  uncivilized, 
and  wherever  man  may  be,  from  the  arctic  regions  to  the  tropics, 
is  more  general,  permeating  more  different  conditions  of  human 
existence,  than  any  other  substance  of  a  like  character. 

There  were  raised  in  the  United  States  alone  in  191 7, 
1,221,186,000  pounds  of  tobacco,  and  in  the  same  year  tobacco 
was  imported  here  of  the  value  of  $25,481,979;  for  it  is  grown 
from  the  subarctic  to  tropical  regions,  and  in  nearly  all  parts 
of  the  earth,  the  value  of  the  world  crop,  being,  as  near  as  I 
can  estimate,  from  $300,000,000  to  $400,000,000  per  annum. 

If  these  vast  sums  spent  for  tobacco  were  spent  for  warm 
clothing  arid  nourishing  food  for  the  children  of  the  men  who  now 
throw  the  same  away  to  buy  tobacco,  who  doubts  that  the  change 
would  be  most  advantageous  for  future  generations? 


Just  as  I  had  nearly  finished  this  book,  there  appeared  in  the 
Literary  Digest  of  July  9,  192 1,  quite  an  interesting  article, 
"Corn  from  Grass  in  Eighteen  Years."  It  was  explained  that  for 
some  years  botanists  had  surmised  that  the  original  ancestor  of 
our  Indian  corn  was  a  grass  called  teosinte,  a  native  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America,  and  that,  acting  on  this  supposition,  Luther 
Burbank,  the  wizard  of  the  plant  world,  had  proven  this  surmise 
to  be  true. 

It  appears  that  in  1903  Burbank  (whom  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  casually  in  1909)  commenced  his  experiments  with  the 
grass  teosinte,  and  at  the  end  of  eighteen  years  he  succeeded  in 
evolving  an  ordinary  ear  of  Indian  corn,  such  as  was  found  in 
use  by  the  Indians  when  this  country  was  first  discovered. 

The  original  article  was  contributed  to  the  Post  Dispatch  of 
St.  Louis,  by  Robert  H.  Moulton,  who  says  in  part: 

198 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"It  was  the  savage  Indian,  says  Burbank,  who  gave  us,  here 
in  America,  the  most  important  crop  we  have.  It  was  the  Indian 
who  found  the  wild  grass,  teosinte,  covering  the  plains  and  de- 
veloped it  into  corn.  Or,  to  turn  it  the  other  way  around,  it  was 
the  desire  of  the  Indian  for  a  food  plant  like  this  which  led  the 
teosinte  grass,  by  gradual  adaptation,  to  produce  maize.  On 
Burbank's  farm  there  grows,  today,  this  same  teosinte  which  the 
Indian  found.  It  bears  tiny  ears,  with  two  rows  of  cornlike  ker- 
nels, on  a  cob  the  thickness  of  a  lead-pencil,  and  from  two  to  four 
inches  long,  slightly  less  in  length  than  an  average  head  of  wheat. 

"From  its  earlier  stage  of  'pod'  corn,  in  which  each  kernel  was 
encased  in  a  separate  sheath,  or  husk,  like  wheat,  teosinte  rep- 
resented, no  doubt,  a  hard-fought  survival  and  adaptation  like 
that  of  the  flowering  violet.  And  when  the  Indians  came  into 
its  environment,  it  responded  to  their  influence  as  the  pansy 
responded  to  care  and  cultivation  in  its  new  dooryard  home. 

"Where  teosinte  had  formerly  relied  upon  the  frosts  to 
loosen  up  the  ground  for  the  seed,  it  found  in  the  Indian  a  friend 
who  crudely  but  effectively  scratched  the  soil  and  doubled  the 
chance  for  its  baby  plant  to  grow.  Where  it  had  been  choked  by 
plant  enemies,  and  starved  for  air  and  sunlight  by  weeds,  it 
found  in  the  Indian  a  friend  who  cut  down  and  kept  off  its  com- 
petitors. Where  it  had  been  destroyed  by  animals  before  its 
maturity,  it  found  the  selfish  protection  of  the  savage  as  grateful 
as  if  it  had  been  inspired  by  altruism. 

"Planted  in  patches,  instead  of  struggling  here  and  there  as 
best  it  could  before,  the  teosinte  grass  found  its  multiplication 
problem  made  easier  through  the  multitude  of  pollen  grains  now 
floating  through  the  air.  And  so,  by  slow  degrees,  it  responded  to 
its  new  environment  by  bearing  more  and  bigger  seed.  As  the 
seed  kernels  increased  in  numbers  and  size,  the  cob  that  bore  them 
grew  in  length.  From  two,  the  rows  of  kernels  increased  to  four, 
to  six,  to  eight,  to  fourteen.  Here,  again,  the  selfish  motives  of 
the  savages  served  to  help  the  plant  in  its  adaptation,  for  only  the 
largest  ears  and  those  with  the  best  kernels  were  saved  for  seed. 
So,  under  cultivation,  the  wild  grass  almost  disappeared,  and  in 
its  place  there  came,  through  adaptation,  the  transformed  Indian 
corn." 

I  reproduce  a  small  portion  of  this  article,  which  was  illus- 
trated, because  I  believe  the  origin  of  Indian  corn  will  prove  of 

199 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

interest  to  all  reflecting  men  In  the  next  place,  rude  as  were 
the  agricultural  methods  of  the  Indians,  we  see  that,  by  their 
rude  manner  of  cultivation,  they  did  succeed  through  generations 
of  continued  efforts,  in  evolving  from  a  small  spear  of  grass  the 
most  important  cereal  now  raised  by  civilized  men. 

What  the  Chickasaws  Had  to  Eat— 

The  Chickasaws  not  only  had  from  the  vegetable  kingdom 
what  they  raised  in  their  gardens  and  fields,  but  there  were  many 
things  growing  wild  which  made  splendid  dishes,  and  Adair  and 
others  assure  us  that  there  were  no  better  cooks  than  the  Chick- 
asaw women,  or  who  could  in  their  earthenware  utensils  prepare 
more  kinds  of  savory  dishes. 

In  the  months  of  April  and  May  strawberries  were  found 
profusely  scattered  amid  the  grass  of  the  undulating  prairies  that 
lay  along  the  banks  of  the  rivers  and  creeks,  and  here  and  there 
scattered  amid  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  forests ;  then  summer 
too  yielded  her  immense  store  of  blackberries  on  every  side;  in 
turn,  followed  autumn  with  prodigal  abundance  of  hickory  nuts 
of  several  varieties,  walnuts,  pecans,  huckleberries,  wild  plums, 
persimmons,  wild  grapes,  and  muscadines,  all  of  excellent  flavor. 
The  wild  plum  is  still  found  in  some  places  in  our  country,  and 
was  known  as  the  Chickasaw  plum;  is  very  fine  in  flavor  and 
makes  a  good  preserve.  Bartram  (p.  38)  says  that,  though  a 
native  of  America,  he  never  saw  it  growing  wild  in  the  southeast, 
and  added,  "I  suppose  it  to  have  been  brought  from  the  south- 
west beyond  the  Mississippi  by  the    Chickasaws." 

The  woods  were  full  of  game,  such  as  deer,  elk,  bear,  and  oc- 
casionally the  lordly  buffalo  or  bison,  with  innumerable  smaller 
game,  and  water  fowl  and  also  the  turkey,  the  king  of  the  galli- 
naceous tribe.  As  a  general  rule  the  upland  wooded  country  was 
comparatively  free  from  underbrush,  caused  in  part  by  fre- 
quent fires,  kindled  of  purpose  by  the  Chickasaws  each  fall, 
but  in  the  spring  the  vegetable  kingdom  broke  forth  in  beauteous 
forms  of  flowers,  with  a  profusion  of  wild  peas,  upon  which,  in 

200 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

due  season,  the  deer  and  other  game  fed  and  fattened.  Made 
ready  for  the  table,  garnished  with  the  wild  parsley  growing  on 
the  river  banks,  they  were  enough  to  suit  the  taste  of  the  most 
fastidious. 

Adair  says  the  wild  turkeys  lived  principally  on  a  small  red 
acorn,  and  in  March  they  grew  so  fat  that  they  could  not  fly 
further  than  300  or  400  yards;  that,  not  being  able  to  soon  take 
flight  again,  they  were  easily  run  down  with  horses  and  hunting 
mastiffs,  and  that  in  the  unfrequented  places  of  Mississippi 
they  were  so  tame  as  to  be  shot  with  the  pistol,  of  which  the 
troops,  with  whom  he  was  marching  on  their  way  to  the  Illinois 
country,  frequently  availed  themselves. 

These  inexhaustible  stores  of  wild  game  were  at  the  complete 
command  of  the  Chickasaws  long  before  the  advent  of  the  white 
man;  for  Elvas  (p.  57)  says  that 

"the  Indians  never  lacked  meat.  With  arrows  they  get 
abundance  of  deer,  turkeys,  conies  (rabbit),  and  other  wild  ani- 
mals, being  very  skillful  in  killing  game,  which  the  Christians 
were  not." 

Then  again  in  their  creeks  and  rivers  innumerable  schools  of 
fish  of  all  varieties  and  kinds  abounded,  and  these  they  took  with 
the  utmost  ease.  As  showing  how  completely  at  home  the 
primitive  Chickasaw  was  in  the  water  and  in  the  capture  of  large 
fish  which  hid  themselves  under  rock  walls  projecting  in  the 
river,  I  will  here  quote  from  Adair  (p.  404) . 

"They  have  a  surprising  method  of  fishing  under  the  edges  of 
rocks  that  stand  over  the  deep  places  of  a  river.  There,  they  pull 
off  their  red  breeches,  or  their  long  slip  of  stroud  cloth,  and  wrap- 
ping it  round  their  arm,  so  as  to  reach  to  the  lower  part  of  the  palm 
of  their  right  hand,  they  dive  under  the  rock  where  the  large  cat 
fish  lie  to  shelter  themselves  from  the  scorching  beams  of  the 
sun,  and  to  watch  for  prey ;  as  soon  as  those  fierce  aquatic  animals 
see  that  tempting  bait,  they  immediately  seize  it  with  the  greatest 
violence,  in  order  to  swallow  it.     Then  is  the  time  for  the  diver 

201 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

to  improve  the  favourable  opportunity;  he  accordingly  opens  his 
hand,  seizes  the  voracious  fish  by  his  tender  parts,  hath  a  sharp 
struggle  with  it  against  the  crevices  of  the  rock,  and  at  last 
brings  it  safe  ashore.  Except  the  Choktah,  all  our  Indians,  both 
male  and  female,  above  the  state  of  infancy,  are  in  the  watery 
element  nearly  equal  to  amphibious  animals,  by  practice;  and 
from  the  experiments  necessity  has  forced  them  to,  it  seems  as 
if  few  were  endued  with  such  strong  natural  abilities — very  few 
can  equal  them  in  their  wild  situation  of  life." 

The  Chickasaws  knew  how  to  preserve  their  meats  and  pro- 
duce, by  drying  and  otherwise,  for  future  use,  and  as  fats  or  oils 
are  essential  for  human  food,  they  extracted  these  from  the  fat 
of  animals,  and  especially  of  the  bear,  which  the  early  writers 
assure  us  was  one  of  the  sweetest  kinds  of  oils  and  the  best  in 
which  to  prepare  food  for  the  table. 

The  country  abounded  in  many  kinds  of  nuts,  including  the 
shell-bark  hickory,  or  what  we  locally  call  the  "scalybark,"  and 
these  were  gathered  by  the  hundreds  of  bushels  and  stored  for 
future  use.     There  are  few  better  or  sweeter  nuts. 

Bartram  says, 

"I  have  seen  above  an  hundred  bushels  of  these  nuts 
belonging  to  one  family.  They  pound  them  to  pieces, 
and  then  cast  them  into  boiling  water,  which,  after  passing 
through  fine  strainers,  preserves  the  most  oily  parts  of  the  liquid: 
this  they  call  by  a  name  which  signifies  hickory  milk;  it  is  as 
sweet  and  rich  as  fresh  cream,  and  is  an  ingredient  in  most  of 
their  cookery,  especially  hominy  and  corn  cakes." 

As  some  may  be  curious  to  learn  of  the  dishes  that  found 
their  way  to  the  table  of  the  Indians,  I  will  here  again  quote  from 
Bartram  (p.  239) : 

"Early  in  the  morning  our  chief  invited  me  with  him  on  a 
visit  to  the  town,  to  take  a  final  leave  of  the  White  King  (meaning 
the  writer).  We  were  graciously  received,  and  treated  with  the 
utmost  civility  and  hospitality:  there  was  a  noble  entertainment 

202 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  repast  provided  against  our  arrival,  consisting  of  bears'  ribs, 
venison,  varieties  of  fish,  roasted  turkies  (which  they  call  the 
white  man's  dish),  hot  corn  cakes,  and  a  very  agreeable,  cooling 
sort  of  jelly,  which  they  call  conte;  this  is  prepared  from  the  root 
of  the  China  briar:  they  chop  the  roots  in  pieces,  which  are  after- 
wards well  pounded  in  a  wooden  mortar,  then  being  mixed  with 
clean  water,  in  a  tray  or  trough,  they  strain  it  through  baskets; 
the  sediment  settles  to  the  bottom  of  the  second  vessel,  is  after- 
wards dried  in  the  open  air,  and  is  then  a  very  fine  reddish  flour 
or  meal:  a  small  quantity  of  this  mixed  with  warm  water  and 
sweetened  with  honey,  when  cool  becomes  a  beautiful,  delicious 
jelly,  very  nourishing  and  wholesome.  They  also  mix  it  with 
fine  corn  flour,  which,  being  fried  in  fresh  bear's  oil,  makes  very 
good  hot  cakes  or  fritters." 

That  the  Indians,  like  all  other  races,  were  at  times  im- 
provident and  found  themselves  wanting  in  the  necessaries  of 
life  is  entirely  true;  but  there  was  this  redeeming  feature  of  their 
characters,  and  that  is,  all  the  provisions  that  they  possessed 
were  considered  common  property  to  the  extent  that  they  would 
divide  with  each  other  the  last  morsel  they  possessed.  This 
resulted  from  that  splendid  characteristic  of  the  American 
Indian  that  he  did  not  covet  what  his  neighbor  had,  and  of 
course  was  entirely  unmercenary.  We  are  told  in  our  sacred 
writings  that  the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil ;  wherefore 
should  we  not  admire  the  primitive  Indian,  who,  before  his 
contamination  by  contact  with  the  white  man,  was  free  from  this 
vice? 

As  previously  stated  I  was  in  the  Yukon  country  of  British 
Columbia,  and  Alaska  in  1906,  and  this  was  not  long  after  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  Arctic  America,  which  precipitated  one  of 
the  maddest  rushes  from  all  parts  of  the  globe,  and  of  nearly  all 
races  of  mankind  to  those  regions,  in  a  maddening  search  for 
gold,  the  almighty  dollar.  But  upon  special  inquiry  I  learned 
from  all  sources  that  no  Indian  or  Eskimo  of  that  country  was 
ever  known  to  prospect  or  search  for  gold,  or  in  any  way  join  in  the 
search  for  hidden  treasures. 

203 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

That  country  and  its  inhabitants  were  then  very  much  in 
the  same  condition  as  at  creation's  dawn,  and,  owing  to  the 
severity  of  the  climate,  the  natives  found  the  struggle  for  exist- 
ence extremely  severe,  and  sometimes  starvation  entirely  de- 
populated a  whole  community.  In  order  to  procure  for  them- 
selves and  families  the  necessaries  of  life,  they  would  hire  out  and 
work,  but  search  for  gold,  never. 

Chickasaw  Medicine— 

The  Indians  were  thoroughly  conversant,  it  would  seem, 
with  every  herb,  bush,  and  tree  in  the  wilderness  within  which 
they  lived.  Many  of  these  were  used  for  medicinal  purposes  and 
with  astonishing  effect  according  to  the  persons  who  lived 
amongst  them.  For  instance,  Adair  says  that,  although  there 
were  many  snakes  and  many  of  them  poisonous,  such  as  the 
rattlesnake,  the  Indians  had  no  fear  of  them,  because  they 
compounded  certain  herbs  which  rendered  the  poison  entirely 
innocuous.  He  says  that  when  bitten  by  a  venomous  snake,  the 
Indian  would  commence  chewing  certain  herbs  with  which  he 
was  provided  and  swallowing  the  same,  and  although  he 
passed  through  paroxysms  and  rigors  of  pain,  that  without  an 
exception  the  poison  failed  to  take  effect,  except  as  stated,  and 
the  Indian  was  soon  well. 

Likewise  they  had  remedies  for  nearly  every  complaint, 
which  were  very  efficacious.     Adair  (p.  234)  says: 

"For  my  own  part,  I  would  prefer  an  old  Indian  before  any 
chirurgeon  (surgeon)  whatsoever,  in  curing  green  wounds  by 
bullets,  arrows,  etc.,  both  for  the  certainty,  ease,  and  speediness 
of  cure;  for  if  those  parts  of  the  body  are  not  hurt,  which  are 
essential  to  the  preservation  of  life,  they  cure  the  wounded  in 
a  trice.  They  bring  the  patient  into  a  good  temperament  of 
body  by  a  decoction  of  proper  herbs  and  roots,  and  always 
enjoin  a  most  abstemious  life;  they  forbid  them  women,  salt,  and 
every  kind  of  flesh-meat,  applying  mountain  allum  as  the  chief 
ingredient." 

204 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

I  have  heretofore  referred  (ante  p.  26)  to  the  autobiography 
of  Dr.  Gideon  Lincecum,  and  where  it  can  be  found,  and  as  to 
its  value  in  Chickasaw  history,  and  here  will  note  that  he  thought 
so  well  and  favorably  of  the  Indian  remedies  that  by  appoint- 
ment he  met  in  the  wilderness  what  we  would  call  a  noted  Indian 
medicine  man,  with  whom  he  spent  several  months,  in  order  to 
be  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  Indian  medicine;  from  which 
Lincecum  claimed  to  have  derived  very  valuable  information. 

Amusements  of  the  Chickasaws— 

As  might  well  be  supposed,  the  Chickasaws  were  given  to 
amusements  of  various  kinds,  and  especially  of  the  ball  game; 
but  as  this  was  an  amusement  common  to  all  the  Indians,  I  refer 
the  curious  reader  to  Bartram  (pp.  506,  507),  where  the  game  and 
the  way  in  which  it  was  played  is  described. 

While  Cushman  frankly  states  (p.  493)  that  the  Chickasaws 
were  great  gamblers,  betting  on  most  anything,  still  they  never 
bet  on  a  ball  game,  that  being  strictly  forbidden. 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  Chickasaw  men  spent  the  most 
of  their  time  playing  on  flutes,  the  flutes  being  made  of  cane  or 
the  tibia  of  the  deer.  If  such  had  been  the  case,  then  it  would 
have  been  impossible  for  them  to  have  been  the  most  intrepid 
and  unconquerable  warriors  upon  the  continent,  a  fact  admitted 
by  all. 

That  they  were  fond  of  music  and  the  dance,  of  which  there 
were  many  kinds,  is  well  attested;  but  deeming  these  details 
not  essential  here,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Cushman  (p.  499) 
and  other  writers  who  fully  treat  of  the  same. 

The  Chickasaw  Hunters  and  Their  Endurance— 

As  hunters  and  trackers  the  Chickasaws  had  no  superiors. 
Pickett  (p.  134)  says: 

"Of  all  the  Indians  in  North  America,  they  were  the  most 
expert  in  tracking.  They  would  follow  their  enemy  on  a  long 
gallop  over  any  kind  of  ground  without  mistaking,  where  per- 

205 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

haps  only  a  blade  of  grass  bent  down  told  the  foot  print.  Again, 
when  they  were  leisurely  hunting  over  the  woods,  and  came  upon 
an  indistinct  trail  recently  made  by  Indians,  they  knew  at  once 
of  what  nation  they  were  by  the  foot  prints,  the  hatchet  chops 
upon  the  trees,  their  camp  fires  and  other  distinguishing  marks. 
They  were  also  esteemed  to  be  admirable  hunters,  and  their 
extensive  plains  and  unbroken  forests  afforded  them  the  widest 
field  for  the  display  of  their  skill." 

When  hunting  or  upon  the  war  path,  if  they  came  upon 
deserted  camp  fires  or  human  footprints,  they  could  tell  to  what 
tribe  the  party  belonged  and  whether  friend  or  foe.  They  said 
that  the  white  man  traveled  with  his  eyes  shut  and  his  mouth 
open;  meaning  that  the  white  man  was  idly  talking  and  did  not 
observe  where  he  was  going  or  the  things  around  him.  On  the 
other  hand  they  said  that  an  Indian  would  travel  all  day  and  not 
say  anything,  but  see  everything.  When  on  the  war  path  or  in 
the  chase,  the  Chickasaw  was  always  silent. 

With  a  view  to  accuracy,  and  lest  it  might  be  supposed 
that  I  overestimate  the  skill  of  the  primitive  Chickasaw,  I  will 
here  quote  at  large  first  from  Cushman  and  then  from  Adair. 

Cushman  (p.  527)  says: 

"As  an  illustration  of  their  skill  in  discerning  and  inter- 
preting landmarks  and  signs,  I  will  here  relate  a  little  incident 
proving  the  wonderful  skill  and  ingenuity  displayed  in  ascer- 
taining facts  with  regard  to  anything  of  which  they  desired  to 
inform  themselves. 

"In  the  years  of  long  ago,  a  Chickasaw  had  a  ham  of  venison 
taken  from  his  little  log  house  in  which  he  kept  his  stock  of  pro- 
visions during  the  absence  of  himself  and  family.  He  described 
the  thief  as  being  a  white  man,  low  stature,  lame  in  one  leg, 
having  a  short  gun,  and  accompanied  by  a  short- tail  dog.  When 
requested  to  explain  how  he  could  be  so  positive,  he  answered: 
'His  track  informed  me  he  was  a  white  man  by  his  shoes  (Indian 
wear  moccasins) ;  he  stood  on  the  toes  of  his  shoes  to  reach  the 
venison  ham,  which  told  me  he  was  a  low  man;  one  foot  made  a 
deeper  and  plainer  impress  upon  the  ground  than  the  other  as  he 
walked,  which  told  me  he  was  a  lame  man;  the  mark  made  by  the 


The  above  was  drawn  from  life  by  Jacob  LeMoyne  in  1564.  He  was 
an  artist  accompanying  the  French  Huguenot  settlement  in  Florida  under 
Laudonniere,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  soon  destroyed  on  account  of 
religious  rivalries,  LeMoyne  being  one  of  the  few  to  escape. 

Romans  (p.  66),  speaking  in  1771  of  the  various  methods  of  hunting 
by  the  Chickasaws,  says:  "They  hunt  like  their  neighbors  with  the 
skin  and  frontal  bone  of  a  deer's  head,  dried  and  stretched  on  elastic 
chips;  the  horns  they  scoup  out  very  curiously,  employing  so  much 
patience  on  this,  that  such  a  head  and  antlers  often  do  not  exceed  ten  or 
twelve  ounces;  they  fix  this  on  the  left  hand,  and  imitating  the  motions 
of  the  deer  in  fight,  they  decoy  them  within  sure  shot." 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

breech  of  a  gun  upon  the  ground  and  the  one  made  by  its  muzzle 
upon  the  bark  of  the  tree  against  which  it  had  leaned  told  me  he 
had  a  gun,  and  it  was  a  short  gun;  the  tracks  made  by  a  dog  told 
me  of  his  presence;  and  the  impress  he  made  where  he  sat  upon 
the  ground  to  the  end  of  that  made  by  his  tail,  as  he  wagged  it, 
was  but  a  finger's  length,  which  told  me  the  dog's  tail  was  short. 
What  white  man  would  ever  have  thought  to  look  for,  or  dis- 
covered such  evidences  in  identifying  a  thief?" 

As  showing  the  personal  bravery  and  unconquerable  spirit 
and  almost  endless  endurance  of  the  native  Chickasaws,  this 
exploit  of  a  young  Chickasaw  warrior,  whose  name  is  not  even 
mentioned,  is  thus  set  forth  by  Adair,  beginning  at  page  395: 

"When  the  Chickkasah  were  engaged  in  a  former  war  with 
the  Muskhoge,  one  of  their  young  warriors  set  off  alone  against 
them,  to  revenge  the  blood  of  a  near  relation;  his  burning  heart 
would  not  allow  him  to  delay  its  gratification  and  proceed  with  a 
company,  after  their  usual  forms  of  purification  were  observed,  in 
order  to  gain  success.  He  was  replete  with  martial  fire,  and 
revenge  prompted  him  to  outrun  his  war  virtue;  however,  he 
pursued  as  mortifying  a  regimen,  as  if  he  had  been  publicly  fed 
like  a  dove,  by  the  scanty  hand  of  a  religious  waiter.  But,  as 
he  would  not  wait  a  few  days,  and  accompany  the  reputed  holy 
ark,  they  reckoned  him  irreligious,  by  depending  on  the  power  of 
his  own  arms,  instead  of  the  powerful  arm  of  the  supreme  fatherly 
chieftain,  Yo  He  Wab,  who  always  bestows  victory  on  the  more 
virtuous  party.  He  went  through  the  most  unfrequented  and 
thick  parts  of  the  woods,  as  such  a  dangerous  enterprise  required, 
till  he  arrived  opposite  to  the  great  and  old  beloved  town  of 
refuge,  Koosah,  which  stands  high  on  the  eastern  side  of  a  bold 
river,  about  250  yards  broad,  that  runs  by  the  late  dangerous 
Alebahma  fort,  down  to  the  black  poisoning  Mobille,  and  so  into 
the  gulph  of  Mexico.  There  he  concealed  himself  under  cover 
of  the  top  of  a  fallen  pine  tree,  in  view  of  the  ford  of  the  old 
trading  path,  where  the  enemy  now  and  then  passed  the  river  in 
their  light  poplar  canoes.  All  his  war  store  of  provisions  con- 
sisted in  three  stands  of  barbecued  venison,  till  he  had  an  op- 
portunity to  revenge  blood,  and  return  home.  He  waited,  with 
watchfulness  and  patience  almost  three  days,  when  a  young  man, 

207 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

a  woman,  and  a  girl  passed  a  little  wide  of  him,  about  an  hour 
before  sunset.  The  former  he  shot  down,  tomahawked  the  other 
two,  and  scalped  each  of  them  in  a  trice,  in  full  view  of  the  town. 
By  way  of  bravado,  he  shaked  the  scalps  before  them,  sounded 
the  awful  death  whoop,  and  set  off  along  the  trading  path, 
trusting  in  his  heels,  while  a  great  many  of  the  enemy  ran  to  their 
arms,  and  gave  chase.  Seven  miles  from  thence,  he  entered  the 
great  blue  ridge  of  Apalache  mountains.  About  an  hour  before 
day,  he  had  run  over  seventy  miles  of  that  mountainous  tract; — 
then,  after  sleeping  two  hours  in  a  sitting  posture,  leaning  his 
back  against  a  tree,  he  set  off  again  with  fresh  speed.  As  he 
threw  away  his  venison,  when  he  found  himself  pursued  by  the 
enemy,  he  was  bound  to  support  nature  with  such  herbs,  roots, 
and  nuts,  as  his  sharp  eyes  with  a  running  glance  directed  him 
to  snatch  up  in  his  course.  Though  I  often  have  rode  that  war 
path  alone,  when  delay  might  have  proven  dangerous,  and  with 
as  fine  and  strong  horses  as  any  in  America,  it  took  me  five  days 
to  ride  from  the  aforesaid  Koosah  to  this  sprightly  warrior's 
place  in  the  Chickkasah  country,  the  distance  of  300  computed 
miles;  yet  he  ran  it,  and  got  home  safe  and  well,  at  about  eleven 
o'clock  on  the  third  day;  which  was  only  one  day  and  a  half,  and 
two  nights." 

Their  Government,  Religion,  Etc. — 

I  have  seen  it  stated  in  reference  to  all  the  North  American 
Indians  as  a  race,  and  also  specifically  of  the  Chickasaw  Indians, 
that  they  had  no  religion ;  while  others  declared  they  had  no  laws 
or  form  of  government.  Any  reflecting  man  who  considers  the 
splendid  discipline  and  known  achievements  of  the  Chickasaws  in 
the  field  of  battle  against  all  their  warlike  neighbors,  so  as  to 
maintain  for  generations  an  undisputed  sway  over  so  vast  a 
territory  though  so  few  in  numbers,  must  realize  that  they  con- 
stituted no  unorganized  mob  without  laws  or  religion.  Such 
would  have  been  an    impossibility. 

The  difficulty  has  been  that  much  that  has  been  said  and 
written  of  our  Indians  has  been  by  men  ignorant  of  them  and 
their  ways,  and  who  jumped  to  conclusions  without  proper 
knowledge  and  due  consideration.    All  know  that  our  Indians 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

even  to  this  day  are  very  reticent,  and  I  think  are  justified  to  a 
certain  extent  in  entertaining  a  suspicion  of  the  white  man, 
until  they  have  cause  to  regard  him  otherwise.  This  is  the 
universal  testimony  of  all  writers  who  spent  long  years  among 
them,  who  respected  the  Ind  ans  and  had  gained  their  confidence, 
a  fact  to  which  Cushman  so  frequently  alludes  in  reference  to  the 
Chickasaws.  They  did  not  differ  from  men  generally  in  their  dif- 
fidence in  speaking  of  their  laws  or  religion,  such  as  they  had. 
These  were  not  written,  but  had  been  evolved  from  experience 
and  observation  through  countless  ages,  so  that  they  constituted 
a  part  of  their  very  existence  and  were  sacred  to  them  from  the 
prying  eyes  of  the  ordinary  white  man,  who,  failing  entirely  to 
understand  the  character  of  the  Indian  and  his  beliefs  and  laws, 
no  doubt  often  treated  them,  not  only  with  indifference,  but  with 
contempt  and  ridicule.  There  is  nothing  which  so  provokes  one 
as  to  have  what  religion  he  may  profess,  or  which  he  was  taught 
by  his  parents,  treated  with  ridicule  or  even  lightly,  or  to  inti- 
mate that  he  has  no  religion,  or  that  it  is  a  false  religion. 

That  the  average  white  man  was  constantly  posing  as  the 
possessor  of  the  only  religion  which  could  be  regarded  as  sacred, 
we  may  rest  assured;  and  that  likewise  he  did  not  hesitate  to 
treat  with  indifference,  and  probably  with  ridicule,  the  sacred 
beliefs  of  the  Indians,  was  no  doubt  equally  true.  Under  such 
conditions  the  Indian  was  usually  silent. 

One  of  the  chief  characteristics  of  the  Indians  was  that  they 
were  a  very  practical  people,  and  in  all  probability  the  idealism  of 
the  Christian  religion  was  difficult  for  them  to  grasp.  That 
there  were  among  them  considerable,  not  to  say  great,  intellects 
can  not  be  denied,  and  these  were  usually  in  places  of  authority, 
and  to  them  the  rank  and  file  looked  for  advice.  It  should  be 
remembered  also  that,  while  representations  of  all  the  white 
nations  who  came  among  them  professed  to  be  ardent  Christians 
and  sought  to  convert  the  Indians,  still  these  Christians  were 
divided  into  various  sects,  which  hated  each  other  with  a  fervor 
unknown  at  this  day;  and,  moreover,  the  various  white  nations, 

209 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

such  as  the  British,  French  and  Spanish,  were  not  only  at  deadly 
enmity  the  one  with  the  other,  but  waged  against  each  other 
the  most  cruel  wars,  in  order  to  gain  possession  of  the  very 
country,  the  most  of  which  by  fraud  and  chicanery  they  had 
wrested  from  the  Indians;  and  every  artifice  was  used  to  enlist 
the  Indians  under  the  banner  of  one  or  the  other,  and  with  such 
success  that  the  Christians  in  this  way  fomented  the  most  cruel 
and  bloody  wars  between  the  Indians,  who  were  thus  made  to 
fight  the  battles  of  the  Christians,  the  one  against  the  other. 

And  even  in  modern  times  we  learn  from  Leupp  that  the 
Indians  were  always  greatly  perplexed  at  the  difference  between 
the  various  religious  sects,  and  the  hostility  toward  each  other. 
The  shades  of  differences  were  too  subtle,  or  else  to  their  under- 
standing so  immaterial  as  to  excite  incredulity.  However,  the 
Indian  was  very  practical  in  his  religion  as  in  all  the  affairs  of 
life,  and  the  married  state,  or  rather  the  teachings  of  the  various 
sects  in  respect  thereto,  caused  great  confusion. 

Thus  Leupp  tells  us  (p.  296)  that  an  Indian  with  irony  in  his 
tone  and  a  sly  shrug  of  his  shoulder  called  his  attention  to  a  visit 
of  a  Mormon  apostle,  who  had  four  wives  and  declared  that  this 
was  right  and  good  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord ;  while  a  Protestant 
missionary  who  preached  at  the  agency  had  only  one  wife, 
declaring  it  was  a  sin  to  have  more  than  one;  but  that  the  Roman 
Catholic  priest  who  came  occasionally  to  bless  the  children  had 
no  wife  at  all. 

Such  conditions  could  not  fail  to  make  an  unfavorable  im- 
pression upon  Indians  of  intelligence,  especially  when  they  saw 
their  countrymen  slowly  but  surely  vanishing  before  the  rising 
tide  of  the  white  invaders.  While  they  said  little,  I  think  their 
attitude,  in  general,  was  probably  expressed  by  the  conduct  of 
the  great  Cherokee,  Sequoyah,  the  inventor  of  a  syllabic  alphabet 
adapted  to  the  Cherokee  language,  and  without  a  rival  in  the 
history  of  the  civilized  world. 

It  is  said  that  when  he  heard  that  types  of  his  alphabet  were 
to  be  cast,  so  as  to  print  the  Bible  in  the  Cherokee  language, 

210 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

he  merely  expressed  his  regret  that  he  had  invented  the  alphabet, 
though  it  had  cost  him  years  of  toil,  and  made  his  name  immortal. 

With  respect  to  the  Chickasaws  the  unanimous  testimony 
from  all  sources  attest  their  intrepidity,  their  entire  fearlessness, 
and  even  almost  contempt  of  death.  We  are  not  surprised 
therefore  to  learn  (Cushman,  p.  502)  that  the  ancient  Chicka- 
saws, unlike  their  kindred,  the  Choctaws,  entertained  no  super- 
stitious views  in  regard  to  the  eclipse  of  the  sun  or  moon;  re- 
garding it  as  a  phenomenon  inexplicable,  and  to  be  the  height  of 
folly  to  be  alarmed  and  worried  with  respect  to  that  over  which 
they  had  no  control,  a  sensible  conclusion  indeed.  They  called 
an  eclipse,  either  of  sun  or  moon,  hushi  luma  (sun  hidden). 
Sometimes  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  was  termed  hushi  Mi  (dead 
sun),  and  sometimes  hushi  kunia  (lost  sun).  They  called  the 
moon  hushi  ninak  aye  (the  sun  of  the  night) . 

I  have  endeavored  to  trace  out  the  real  form  of  the  Chicka- 
saw form  of  government,  as  well  as  the  fundamentals  of  their 
religious  beliefs,  a  somewhat  difficult  task,  owing  to  their  ret- 
icence on  these  subjects;  and  after  a  careful  consideration  and 
comparison  of  all  accounts  thereof,  as  recorded  by  writers  who 
were  in  a  position  to  know,  I  have  selected  the  account  of  Bartram 
(p.  493  et  seq.) ;  where  he  thus  summarizes  the  facts  in  reference 
thereto : 

"The  king,  although  he  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  first  and 
greatest  man  in  the  town  or  tribe,  and  honored  with  every  due 
and  rational  mark  of  love  and  esteem,  and  when  presiding  in 
council,  with  a  humility  and  homage  as  reverent  as  that  paid  to 
the  most  despotic  monarch  in  Europe  or  the  East,  and  when 
absent,  his  seat  is  not  filled  by  any  other  person,  yet  he  is  not 
dreaded;  and  when  out  of  the  council,  he  associates  with  the 
people  as  a  common  man,  converses  with  them,  and  they  with 
him,  in  perfect  ease  and  familiarity. 

"The  mico  or  king,  though  elective,  yet  his  advancement  to 
that  supreme  dignity  must  be  understood  in  a  very  different 
light  from  the  elective  monarchs  of  the  old  world,  where  the 
progress  to  magistracy  is  generally  effected  by  schisim  and  the 

211 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

influence  of  friends  gained  by  craft,  bribery,  and  often  by  more 
violent  efforts;  and  after  the  throne  is  obtained,  by  measures 
little  better  than  usurpation,  he  must  be  protected  and  supported 
there,  by  the  same  safe  means  that  carried  him  thither. 

"But  here  behold  the  majesty  of  the  Muscogulge  mico. 
He  does  not  either  publicly  or  privately  beg  of  the  people  to  place 
him  in  a  situation  to  command  and  rule  them:  no,  his  appearance 
is  altogether  mysterious;  as  a  beneficent  deity  he  rises  king  over 
them,  as  the  sun  rises  to  bless  the  earth! 

"No  one  will  tell  you  how  or  when  he  became  their  king;  but 
he  is  universally  acknowledged  to  be  the  greatest  person  among 
them,  and  he  is  loved,  esteemed,  and  reverenced,  although  he 
associates,  eats,  drinks,  and  dances  with  them  in  common  as 
another  man;  his  dress  is  the  same,  and  a  stranger  could  not 
distinguish  the  king's  habitation  from  that  of  any  other  citizen 
by  any  sort  of  splendor  or  magnificence;  yet  he  perceives  they 
act  as  though  their  mico  beheld  them,  himself  invisible.  In  a 
word,  their  mico  seems  to  them  the  representative  of  Providence 
or  the  Great  Spirit,  whom  they  acknowledge  to  preside  over  and 
influence  their  councils  and  public  proceedings.  He  personally 
presides  daily  in  their  councils,  either  at  the  rotunda  or  public 
square:  and  even  here  his  voice,  in  regard  to  business  in  hand, 
is  regarded  no  more  than  any  other  chief's  or  senator's,  no 
farther  than  his  advice,  as  being  the  best  and  wisest  man  of  the 
tribe,  and  not  by  virtue  of  regal  prerogative.  But  whether  their 
ultimate  decisions  require  unanimity,  or  only  a  majority  of 
voices,  I  am  uncertain;  but  probably  where  there  is  a  majority, 
the  minority  voluntarily  accede. 

"The  most  active  part  the  mico  takes  is  in  the  civil  govern- 
ment of  the  town  or  tribe ;  here  he  has  the  power  and  prerogative 
of  calling  a  council  to  deliberate  on  peace  and  war,  or  all  public 
concerns,  as  inquiring  into  and  deciding  upon  complaints  and 
differences ;  but  he  has  not  the  least  shadow  of  exclusive  executive 
power.  He  is  complimented  with  the  first  visits  of  strangers, 
giving  audience  to  ambassadors  with  presents,  and  he  has  also 
the  disposal  of  the  public  granary. 

"The  next  man  in  order  of  dignity  and  power  is  the  great 
war  chief;  he  represents  and  exercises  the  dignity  of  the  mico, 
in  his  absence,  in  council;  his  voice  is  of  the  greatest  weight  in 
military  affairs;  his  power  and  authority  are  entirely  independent 
of  the  mico,  though  when  a  mico  goes  on  an  expedition,  he  heads 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  army,  and  is  there  the  war  chief.  There  are  many  of  these 
war  chiefs  in  a  town  or  tribe,  who  are  captains  or  leaders  of 
military  parties;  they  are  elderly  men,  who  in  their  youthful  days 
have  distinguished  themselves  in  war  by  valour,  subtility  and 
intrepidity;  and  these  veteran  chiefs,  in  a  great  degree,  con- 
stitute their  truly  dignified  and  venerable  senates. 

"There  is  in  every  town  or  tribe  a  high  priest,  usually  called 
by  the  white  people  jugglers,  or  conjurers,  besides  several  juniors 
or  graduates. 

"But  the  ancient  high  priest  or  seer  presides  in  spiritual 
affairs,  and  is  a  person  of  consequence;  he  maintains  and  ex- 
ercises great  influence  in  the  state,  particularly  in  military  affairs; 
the  senate  never  determine  on  an  expedition  against  their  enemy 
without  his  counsel  and  assistance.  These  people  generally 
believe  that  their  seer  has  communion  with  powerful  invisible 
spirits,  who  they  suppose  have  a  share  in  the  rule  and  govern- 
ment of  human  affairs,  as  well  as  the  elements;  that  he  can  pre- 
dict the  result  of  an  expedition;  and  his  influence  is  so  great 
that  they  have  been  known  frequently  to  stop  and  turn  back  an 
army  when  within  a  day's  journey  of  their  enemy,  after  a  march 
of  several  hundred  miles;  and  indeed  their  predictions  have 
surprised  many  people.  They  foretell  rain  or  drought,  and 
pretend  to  bring  rain  at  pleasure,  cure  diseases,  and  exercise 
witchcraft,  invoke  or  expel  evil  spirits,  and  even  assume  the 
power  of  directing  thunder  and  lightning. 

"These  Indians  are  by  no  means  idolaters,  unless  their 
puffing  the  tobacco  smoke  towards  the  sun,  and  rejoicing  at  the 
appearance  of  the  new  moon,  may  be  termed  so.  So  far  from 
idolatry  are  they  that  they  have  no  images  amongst  them,  nor 
any  religious  rite  or  ceremony  that  I  could  perceive;  but  adore 
the  Great  Spirit,  the  giver  and  taker  away  of  the  breath  of  life, 
with  the  most  profound  and  respectful  homage. 

"They  believe  in  a  future  state  where  the  spirit  exists,  which 
they  call  the  world  of  spirits,  where  they  enjoy  different  degrees 
of  tranquillity  or  comfort,  agreeably  to  their  life  spent  here: 
a  person  who  in  his  life  has  been  an  industrious  hunter,  provided 
well  for  his  family,  an  intrepid  and  active  warrior,  just,  upright, 
and  done  all  the  good  he  could,  will,  they  say,  in  the  world  of 
spirits  live  in  a  warm,  pleasant  country  where  are  expansive, 
green,  flowery  savannas  and  high  forests  watered  with  rivers 
of  pure  waters  replenished  with  deer  and  every  species  of  game; 

213 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

a  serene,  unclouded  and  peaceful  sky;  in  short  there  is  fulness  of 
pleasure,  uninterrupted." 


It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  Bartram  in  the  foregoing 
summary  was  giving  an  account  of  the  form  of  government  and 
religion  of  the  great  Muskhogean  family  as  a  whole,  but,  as  might 
be  expected,  there  were  some  minor  differences  among  this  great 
family;  as,  for  instance,  the  chief  or  king  among  the  Chickasaws 
was  known  by  the  designation  of  mingo,  and  this  word  was  often 
combined  with  another  referring  to  some  event  which  brought 
the  bearer  into  prominence  and  gained  for  him  the  leadership  of 
the  nation.  Thus,  their  great  leader  in  the  time  of  Washington 
was  Piomingo,  or  in  English,  the  Mountain  Leader  or  Chief. 
It  will  hereafter  be  seen  that  the  first  official  treaty  concluded 
with  the  Chickasaws  in  1786  was  signed  by  "Piomingo,  head 
warrior  and  first  minister  of  the  Chickasaw  nation;  Minga- 
tuska,  one  of  the  chiefs;  and  Latopoia,  first  beloved  man  of 
the  said  nation,  commissioners  plenipotentiary  of  all  the 
Chickasaws." 

Referring  again  to  the  Chickasaw  religion,  it  gives  me  pleas- 
ure to  reproduce  in  haec  verba  a  dialogue  between  the  great 
John  Wesley  and  a  young  Chickasaw  chief,  as  recorded  by  Mr. 
Wesley  in  his  justly  celebrated  journal.  I  had  seen  in  a  book  by 
an  author  who  had  considerable  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
Chickasaws,  a  reference  to  a  rather  flattering  statement  by  Mr. 
Wesley  with  respect  to  the  Chickasaws.  I  could  not  find  in 
our  we]l  equipped  Memphis  public  libraries  an  unabridged  copy 
of  Mr^WesleVs  works ;  but  this  deficiency  was  supplied  from  the 
library  of  my  friend  of  many  years'  standing,  John  R.  Pepper, 
to  whom  Southern  Methodism  and  the  extension  of  the  Christian 
religion  in  general  owes  so  much. 

When  I  did  at  last  find  what  Mr.  Wesley  said  of  the  Chicka- 
saws, it  was  quite  the  reverse  of  what  he  was  quoted  as  saying, 
for  what  he  really  said  of  them  was  (p.  49), 

214 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"They  are  eminently  gluttons,  eating,  drinking,  and 
smoking  all  day,  and  almost  all  night.  They  are  extremely 
indolent  and  lazy,  except  in  war;  then  they  are  the  most  inde- 
fatigable and  the  most  valiant  of  all  the  Indians;  but  they  are 
equally  cruel  with  the  rest,  torturing  and  burning  all  their 
prisoners,  whether  Indians  or  European." 

It  should  be  said,  however,  that  Mr.  Wesley  was  careful  to 
precede  this  statement  by  recording  that  he  had  no  knowledge  of 
them,  except  what  he  learned  from  traders,  never  having  visited 
their  country,  and  that  it  was  difficult  to  pick  out  from  such 
reports  any  consistent  account  of  these  Indians.  We  know  from 
authentic  sources  that  the  reports  made  to  Mr.  Wesley  with 
reference  to  the  Chickasaws  were  grossly  unjust  in  most 
respects. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  remarked  that  I  found  that  much 
that  was  written  or  rather  reported  of  the  Chickasaws,  a  well  as 
of  the  Indians  in  general,  was  incorrect  and  misleading,  which 
is  well  illustrated  by  what  it  was  said  was  the  rather  flattering 
estimate  placed  upon  the  Chickasaws  by  Mr.  Wesley. 

Turning  now  from  what  Mr.  Wesley  said  was  told  to  him  in 
general  terms  with  respect  to  the  Chickasaws,  and  coming  now 
to  what  he  recorded  as  to  their  religious  beliefs,  we  can  not 
avoid  being  struck  by  the  entire  misapprehension  of  those  who 
have  with  such  assurance  stated  that  they  were  entirely  without 
any  religious  beliefs. 

In  Vol.  3,  page  28,  Mr.  Wesley  gives  a  conversation  which 
took  place  between  himself  and  a  young  Chickasaw  Indian  chief 
on  Tuesday,  July  20,  1736,  which  is  in  these  words: 

"Five  of  the  Chickasaw  Indians  (twenty  of  whom  had  been 
in  Savannah  several  days)  came  to  see  us,  with  Mr.  Andrews, 
their  interpreter.  They  were  all  warriors,  four  of  them  head  men. 
The  two  chiefs  were  Paustoobee  and  Mingo  Mattaw.  Our  con- 
ference was  as  follows : 

Q.  Do  you  believe  there  is  one  above  who  is  over  all  things? 

215 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

A.  Paustoobee  answered,  'We  believe  there  are  four  beloved 
things  above:  The  clouds,  the  sun,  the  clear  sky,  and  He  that 
lives  in  the  clear  sky.' 

Q.  Do  you  believe  there  is  but  One  that  lives  in  the  clear 
sky? 

A.  We  believe  there  are  two  with  him,  three  in  all. 

Q.  Do  you  think  he  made  the  sun  and  the  other  beloved 
things? 

A.  We  cannot  tell.  Who  hath  seen? 

Q.  Do  you  think  he  made  you? 

A.  We  think  he  made  all  men  at  first. 

Q.  How  did  he  make  them  at  first? 
A.  Out  of  the  ground. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  he  loves  you? 
A.  I  do  not  know.  I  cannot  see  him. 

Q.  But  has  he  not  often  saved  your  life? 

A.  He  has.  Many  bullets  have  gone  on  this  side,  and  many 
on  that  side;  but  he  would  never  let  them  hurt  me.  And  many 
bullets  have  gone  into  these  young  men;  and  yet  they  are  alive. 

Q.  Then,  cannot  he  save  you  from  your  enemies  now? 

A.  Yes,  but  we  know  not  if  he  will.  We  have  now  so  many 
enemies  round  us,  that  I  think  of  nothing  but  death.  And  if  I 
am  to  die,  I  shall  die,  and  I  will  die  like  a  man.  But  if  he  will 
have  me  to  live,  I  shall  live.  Though  I  had  ever  so  many 
enemies,  he  can  destroy  them  all. 

Q.  How  do  you  know  that? 

A.  From  what  I  have  seen.  When  our  enemies  came  against 
us  before,  then  the  beloved  clouds  came  for  us.  And  often  much 
rain,  and  sometimes  hail,  has  come  upon  them;  and  that  in  a 
very  hot  day.  And  I  saw,  when  many  French  and  Choctaws  and 
other  nations  came  against  one  of  our  towns;  and  the  ground 
made  a  noise  under  them,  and  the  beloved  ones  in  the  air  beheld 
them;  and  they  were  afraid,  and  went  away,  and  left  their  meat 
and  drink,  and  their  guns.    I  tell  no  lie.   All  these  saw  it  too. 

Q.  Have  you  heard  such  noises  at  other  times? 

A.  Yes,  often;  before  and  after  almost  every  battle. 

216 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Q.  What  sort  of  noises  were  they? 

A.  Like  the  noise  of  drums  and  guns  and  shouting. 

Q.  Have  you  heard  any  such  lately? 

A.  Yes;  four  days  after  our  last  battle  with  the  French. 

Q.  Then  you  heard  nothing  before  it? 

A.  The  night  before,  I  dreamed  I  heard  many  drums  up 
there;  and  many  trumpets  there,  and  much  stamping  of  feet  and 
shouting.  Till  then  I  thought  we  should  all  die.  But  then  I  thought 
the  beloved  ones  were  come  to  help  us.  And  the  next  day  I 
heard  above  a  hundred  guns  go  off  before  the  fight  began;  and 
I  said,  'When  the  sun  is  there,  the  beloved  ones  will  help  us; 
and  we  shall  conquer  our  enemies.'  And  we  did  so. 

Q.  Do  you  often  think  and  talk  of  the  beloved  ones? 

A.  W^e  think  of  them  always,  wherever  we  are.  We  talk  of 
them,  and  to  them,  at  home  and  abroad;  in  peace,  in  war,  before 
and  after  we  fight;  and  indeed,  whenever  and  wherever  we  meet 
together. 

Q.  Where  do  you  think  your  souls  go  after  death? 

A.  We  believe  the  souls  of  red  men  walk  up  and  down,  near 
the  place  where  they  died,  or  where  their  bodies  lie;  for  we  have 
often  heard  cries  and  noises  near  the  place  where  any  prisoners 
had  been  burned. 

Q.  Where  do  the  souls  of  white  men  go  after  death? 
A.  We  cannot  tell.  We  have  not  seen. 

Q.  Our  belief  is,  that  the  souls  of  bad  men  only  walk  up  and 
down;  but  the  souls  of  good  men  go  up. 

A.  I  believe  so  too.  But  I  told  you  the  talk  of  the  nation. 
(Mr.  Andrews:  They  said  at  the  burying,  they  knew  what  you 
were  doing.  You  were  speaking  to  the  beloved  ones  above,  to 
take  up  the  soul  of  the  young  woman.) 

Q.  We  have  a  book  that  tells  us  many  things  of  the  beloved 
ones  above;  would  you  be  glad  to  know  them? 

A.  We  have  no  time  now  but  to  fight.  If  we  should  ever  be 
at  peace,  we  should  be  glad  to  know. 

Q.  Do  you  expect  ever  to  know  what  the  white  men  know? 
A.  (Mr.  Andrews.    They  told  Mr.  Oglethorpe  they  believe 
the  time  will  come  when  the  red  and  white  men  will  be  one.) 

217 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Q.  What  do  the  French  teach  you? 

A.  The  French  black  kings  (so  they  call  the  priests)  never 
go  out.    We  see  you  go  about;  we  like  that;  that  is  good. 

Q.  How  came  your  nation  by  the  knowledge  they  have? 

A.  As  soon  as  ever  the  ground  was  sound  and  fit  to  stand 
upon,  it  came  to  us,  and  has  been  with  us  ever  since.  But  we  are 
young  men;  our  old  men  know  more;  but  all  of  them  do  not  know. 
There  are  but  a  few,  whom  the  beloved  ones  choose  from  children 
and  are  in  them,  and  take  care  of  them,  and  teach  them.  They 
know  these  things;  and  our  old  men  practice;  therefore  they 
know.    But  I  do  not  practice;  therefore  I  know  little." 

It  will  be  noted  that  in  the  storm  and  the  thunder  and 
lightning  accompanying  the  same,  the  Chickasaws  believed  that 
thereby  the  "Beloved  One  who  dwelleth  in  the  blue  sky"  made 
manifest  his  presence  to  his  children,  who  were  so  near  to  nature 
and  nature's  God.  It  will  be  recalled  that  on  May  20,  1736,  or 
only  some  two  months  before  this  interview  with  Mr.  Wesley, 
these  young  Chickasaws  had  fought  in  the  battle  wherein 
D'Artaguette  was  so  signally  defeated,  and  that  before  the  finish 
of  that  battle  a  great  storm  arose,  sweeping  over  the  scene  of 
conflict.  Likewise  a  fearful  storm  arose  when  De  Soto  came  near 
being  destroyed  by  the  Chickasaws  in  1541,  for  the  Spanish 
chroniclers  inform  us  that  had  it  not  been  for  this  storm,  in  all 
probability,  not  a  single  man  would  have  survived  the  onslaught 
of  the  Chickasaws. 

Should  we  be  surprised  that  the  primitive  Chickasaws  in- 
terpreted these  and  like  natural  phenomena  as  due  to  divine 
interposition,  or  as  phrased  by  Christians,  due  to  a  special 
providence? 

I  reproduce  this  entire  conversation  the  more  readily,  as  I 
believe  its  existence  is  not  generally  known,  and  for  the  additional 
reasons  that  Mr.  Wesley  evidently  was  not  prepossessed  in  favor 
of  the  Chickasaws,  and  finally  because  he  was  writing  on  a 
subject  to  which  he  devoted  his  life,  and  having  an  engaging 
and  sympathetic  personality,  he  evidently  inspired  the  young 

218 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Chickasaw  chief  to  open  his  heart  to  the  man  who  thereafter  became 
famous  as  the  founder  of  the  Methodist  denominations  throughout 
the  world,  though  he  died  a  faithful  adherent  of  the  church  of 
England,  which  we  usually  denominate  the  Episcopal  Church. 

The  burial  referred  to  was  that  of  a  beautiful  and  popular 
young  woman,  whose  death  shocked  the  entire  community, 
Mr.  Wesley  officiating;  and  it  will  be  noted  that  though  the  young 
Chickasaws  did  not  understand  the  English  language,  still  they  well 
understood  from  the  manner  of  the  speaker  and  otherwise,  the  pur- 
port of  what  Mr.  Wesley  said,  for  nothing  escaped  their  vigilance. 

It  may  be  that  Mr.  Wesley  drew  an  unfavorable  opinion  of 
the  Chickasaws  from  their  frank  statement  that  they  did  not  then 
wish  a  missionary  sent  to  their  people;  they  giving  as  a  reason 
that  their  nation  was  then  engaged  in  war  and  that  occupied 
all  their  time  and  attention.  This  conversation  took  place  on 
July  20,  1736,  and  we  know  from  authentic  history  that  in  May 
of  that  year  the  Chickasaws  had  met  in  a  most  sanguinary  war 
the  army  of  Bienville  coming  from  Mobile,  and  that  of  D'Arta- 
guette  coming  from  the  great  Northern  lakes,  who  planned  by 
overwhelming  numbers  to  meet  and  utterly  destroy  the  entire 
Chickasaw  nation,  instead  of  which  the  Chickasaws  defeated 
both  armies;  and  again  defeated  Bienville  in  1739,  Vaudreuil  in 
1752,  and  Regio  in  1753.  From  their  point  of  view  it  was  not  a 
time  for  missionaries. 

When  we  consider  that  what  this  young  Chickasaw  said  was, 
so  to  speak,  spoken  on  the  spur  of  the  moment;  that  in  all  proba- 
bility he  never  knew  it  would  be  taken  down,  and  expressly 
disclaimed  full  knowledge  on  the  topic  of  conversation,  I  think 
it  shows  a  clear  insight  into  the  principles  of  religion  of  his  nation, 
and  that  their  religion  was  of  a  much  higher  order  than  is  gen- 
erally believed  to  have  been  professed  and  taught  by  the  Amer- 
ican aborigines. 

Finally  on  this  subject  of  so  much  interest  to  the  student  of 
history,  it  may  throw  some  light  upon  the  subject  to  consider  how 

219 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  Chickasaws  decided  to  make  war,  and  how  war  was  conducted 
by  them  in  such  ways  as  to  gain  divine  favor. 

Making  War — 

The  usual  view  that  the  Chickasaws  went  to  war  upon  most 
trifling  occasions  is  entirely  incorrect.  If  they  received  mis- 
treatment from  another  nation,  the  matter  was  carefully  looked 
into.  No  one  except  the  warriors  and  men  of  the  best  judgment 
were  called  into  counsel ;  and  they  had  one  custom  which  it  would 
be  well  for  white  people  to  observe  and  that  is,  that  while  one  was 
speaking,  no  other  Indian  was  ever  known  to  interrupt  him  by 
asking  a  question  or  otherwise.  Those  in  attendance  would 
listen  to  what  was  being  said  with  profound  silence.  When  a 
speaker  had  concluded  what  he  had  to  say,  then  another  would 
speak,  until  all  who  desired  to  be  heard  had  been  extended  that 
right.  After  a  full  discussion  they  came  to  a  conclusion  and  often 
would  send  an  embassy  in  an  endeavor  to  adjust  the  trouble,  if 
it  were  probable  that  that  could  be  accomplished.  Otherwise 
they  went  to  war.  They  did  not  do  this,  however,  without  going 
through  elaborate  religious  ceremonies  of  a  stated  kind  and 
character,  wherein  they  fasted  and  denied  themselves  nearly  all 
comforts.  Likewise,  while  on  the  march  looking  for  the  enemy, 
they  were  extremely  abstemious,  so  that  the  hardships  of  the 
journey  were  made  exceedingly  great  by  abstaining  from  food 
and  drink  such  as  is  usual  and  customary.  Adair  (p.  382)  says: 

"When  I  roved  the  woods  in  a  war  party  with  the  Indians, 
though  I  carried  no  scrip,  nor  bottle,  nor  staff,  I  kept  a  large 
hollow  cane  well  corked  at  each  end,  and  used  to  sheer  off  now 
and  then  to  drink,  while  they  suffered  greatly  by  thirst.  The 
constancy  of  the  savages  in  mortifying  their  bodies,  to  gain  the 
divine  favour,  is  astonishing,  from  the  very  time  they  beat  to 
arms  till  they  return  from  their  campaign.  All  the  while  they 
are  out,  they  are  prohibited  by  ancient  custom  the  leaning 
against  a  tree,  either  sitting  or  standing;  nor  are  they  allowed  to 
sit  in  the  day  time,  under  the  shade  of  trees,  if  it  can  be  avoided ; 
nor  on  the  ground,  during  the  whole  journey,  but  on  such  rocks, 

220 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

stones,  or  fallen  wood,  as  their  ark  of  war  rests  upon.  By  the 
attention  they  invariably  pay  to  those  severe  rules  of  living,  they 
weaken  themselves  much  more  than  by  the  unavoidable  fatigues 
of  war;  but,  it  is  fruitless  to  endeavor  to  dissuade  them  from 
those  things  which  they  have  by  tradition  as  the  appointed 
means  to  move  the  deity  to  grant  them  against  the  enemy  a  safe 
return  home." 

How  different  is  this  account  of  Adair  from  the  popular 
impression  as  to  the  conditions  under  which  the  Chickasaws 
waged  war.  And  yet  we  know  that  he  not  only  lived  among  the 
Chickasaws  many  years,  but  he  tells  us  that  the  most  of  his 
book  was  written  while  a  resident  among  them.  It  is  now  a  rare 
book,  a  copy  costing  about  $100,  if  you  could  be  so  fortunate  as 
to  find  one  for  sale;  for  I  know  of  none  in  Tennessee,  and  cer- 
tainly there  is  none  in  our  Memphis  public  libraries. 

The  Indians  Were  the  Mound  Builders— 

Although  in  the  second  chapter  I  treated  of  this  subject  to 
some  extent,  still  not  having  quoted  Cushman,  and  as  his  means 
of  arriving  at  a  correct  conclusion  in  reference  thereto  were  of  a 
very  superior  order,  his  views  are  entitled  to  great  weight,  and  I 
quote  from  him  (p.  588,  589)  on  this  interesting  subject: 

''Be  that  as  it  may  this  truth,  that  the  present  North 
American  Indians  and  their  ancestors  have  inhabited  this  con- 
tinent during  a  period  embracing  ages  of  the  past,  none  will  deny 
who  have  studied  and  made  themselves  acquainted  with  the 
many  existing  facts;  and  that,  from  all  that  has  been  gathered, 
it  is  much  more  conclusive  that  the  mounds  were  erected  by 
them  than  that  they  are  the  works  of  some  long  extinct  race  of 
people  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  Indians.  Therefore, 
let  Requiescat  in  pace  be  the  epitaph  of  the  mound  question  for 
all  future  time  to  come;  and  also,  let  this  age  of  sentimentality, 
sensation,  and  the  love  of  the  marvelous  come  to  an  end,  at  least, 
upon  that  subject,  that  it  may  seek  other  fields  for  the  gratifica- 
tion of  its  seemingly  incomprehensible  thirst  for  a  knowledge  of 
that  which  never  existed.  All  nations,  both  civilized  and  un- 
civilized, have  long  lost  the  memory  of  their  barbaric  state;  and 

221 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

only  traditions,  here  and  there,  speak  of  the  ancient  past.  All 
mankind,  in  every  age  of  the  world,  have  been  mound  builders; 
and  the  same  principle  that  leads  to  the  erection  of  mounds 
still  exists  in  human  nature.  The  various  modern  monuments  of 
to-day  are  but  ways  of  memorizing  events  which  in  ages  past 
would  have  led  to  the  erection  of  mounds. 

"Yet  mournful  to  the  contemplative  mind  are  the  records  of 
departed  greatness.  These  few  still  existing  mounds  of  other 
ages,  these  dumb  oracles  of  the  prehistoric  past,  standing  as 
monuments  on  the  pedestal  of  years,  points  also  to  the  ruins  of 
earth's  other  empires,  and  call  to  her  most  potent  nations  with  a 
voice  more  impressive  to  the  heart  than  the  tongue  of  a  Tully; 
more  symphonious  than  the  harp  of  Homer;  more  picturesque 
than  the  pencil  of  Appelles,  saying:  'In  us  behold  thine  own 
destiny,  and  the  doom  of  the  noblest  achievements,  the  mutabil- 
ity of  all  human  greatness  and  all  human  grandeur,  and  around 
and  before  us,  whose  wild  and  hurried  life  precipitates  the  hour 
of  our  own  dissolution,  are  strewn  the  crumbling  fragments  of  an 
empire,  equally  as  extended  as  those  of  the  east;  but  the  setting 
sun  sheds  its  last  ray  upon  their  tumbling  temples  once  hallowed 
by  the  footsteps  of  worshipping  thousands,  and  the  mellow 
moonbeams  glimmer  through  the  mosscovered  walls  and  gloomy 
galleries,  now  nearly  gone  to  decay;  their  sanctuary  is  broken 
down,  their  glory  is  departed  forever,  and  the  generations  hence, 
in  viewing  the  mounds  of  their  sepulture,  will  inquire  with  won- 
dering thoughts  what  manner  of  beings  they  were." 

In  a  note  to  Gates  P.  Thurston's  The  Antiquities  of  Tennessee 
and  Adjacent  States  (p.  20)  it  is  said  that  Professor  Cyrus  Thomp- 
son of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  insists  that  the  ancient  works  in 
northern  Mississippi  were  built  chiefly  by  the  Chickasaws,  and 
this  is  repeated  on  page  23. 

With  respect  to  the  burial  of  their  dead  by  the  Chickasaws 
Cushman  (p.  496)  says: 

"The  ancient  Chickasaws,  unlike  the  Choctaws,  buried  their 
dead  soon  after  life  became  extinct ;  placing  in  the  grave  with  the 
corpse,  if  a  man,  his  clothes,  war,  and  hunting  implements,  pipe 
and  a  few  provisions;  if  a  woman  or  child,  the  clothes  and  other 

222 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

articles  the  deceased  may  have  prized  in  life,  and  a  few  pro- 
visions." 

I  have  seen  it  stated  by  other  writers  that  the  Chickasaws 
buried  the  dead  where  life  became  extinct;  if  on  the  trail  or  on  a 
journey,  interment  at  once  took  place;  or  if  at  home,  then  in  or 
near  the  house  where  the  death  occurred.  As  the  Chickasaws 
were  a  very  practical  people,  I  doubt  not  that  they  disposed  of 
the  dead  at  once  and  as  indicated  above;  and  from  this  I  am 
strongly  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  while  in  very  remote  times 
they  may  have  built  mounds,  I  do  not  believe  that  they  engaged 
in  such  work  for  generations  before  the  advent  of  the  white  man. 

On  the  other  hand  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  Indian  mounds 
throughout  our  country  were  built  by  our  North  American 
Indians;  or  stated  in  other  words  there  was  not  a  distinct  race  of 
people  from  the  North  American  Indian  commonly  called  the 
Mound  Builders,  who  erected  the  many  mounds  throughout 
North  America. 

What  We  Might  Learn  from  the  Primitive  Chickasaws— 

It  is  not  intended  by  what  is  here  written  to  suggest  that 
we  should  turn  back  the  tide  of  civilization,  or  revert  to  the  life 
of  the  primitive  Chickasaws;  nevertheless  we  might  learn  val- 
uable lessons  in  various  ways  from  their  mental  attitude  and 
mode  of  life.  First  of  all,  they  were  not  covetous  or  mercenary; 
for  no  Indian  was  allowed  to  go  hungry  or  want  for  any  of  the 
necessaries  of  life  while  another  Indian  had  that  which  the  un- 
fortunate one  needed,  his  wants  being  supplied  as  a  matter  of 
course,  and  without  the  expectation  of  any  recompense. 

All  land  and  the  natural  products  of  the  soil,  as  well  as  of  the 
streams  and  waters  of  all  kind,  were  held  in  common,  so  that 
there  were  no  poor  or  rich  people  among  them,  as  among  the 
whites. 

It  followed  that  burglary,  robbery,  and  stealing  were  practi- 
cally unknown  among  the  Chickasaws,  for  the  needy  had  only  to 
ask  and  they  received. 

223 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

When  war  was  made  on  them,  or  they  went  to  war,  then  they 
robbed  and  despoiled  precisely  like  the  whites. 

While  the  Chickasaws  had  many  more  varieties  of  food  than 
is  generally  believed,  still  in  ordinary  times  they  were  by  no  means 
gluttons,  and  scarcely  ever  used  condiments  or  sauces,  and 
thoroughly  masticated  their  food.  The  constant  use  of  their 
teeth  in  grinding  their  food  to  liquefaction  gave  them  and  the 
Indians  in  general  nearly  perfect  teeth,  yet  to  be  seen  in  skulls 
now  dug  up,  the  enamel  still  being  hard  and  glistening,  as  though 
they  had  not  been  buried  for  centuries.  They  needed  no  den- 
tist. 

Drunkenness,  tuberculosis,  smallpox,  venereal  diseases,  and 
the  like  were  unknown  to  them. 

Upon  ceremonial  and  other  important  occasions  they  en- 
dured long  fasts;  and  by  frequent  bathing,  often  preceded  by 
what  we  now  call  a  turkish  bath,  they  hardened  their  bodies;  and 
by  living  in  the  open  their  powers  of  endurance  were  phenomenal. 
They  were  equally  at  home  in  the  water  or  upon  the  land,  and  on 
the  great  Mississippi  in  their  cypress  bark  canoes,  they  command- 
ed the  navigation  of  that  great  river  and  its  near  tributaries,  and 
upon  the  land  they  were  both  feared  and  respected  far  and  wide. 

The  Chickasaw  women  were  noted  for  their  chastity,  and 
their  men  said  it  bemeaned  a  man  to  question  the  purity  of 
their  women. 

If  there  was  an  infraction  of  the  marital  vow,  condign 
punishment  followed  for  both  offenders,  the  man's  punishment 
coming  first.  While  the  man  could  put  away  his  wife,  similar  to 
our  divorce  law,  this  was  very  seldom  done. 

It  is  a  popular  fallacy  to  suppose  that  the  women  did  all  the 
work  while  the  men  were  idle.  The  women,  in  addition  to  caring 
for  the  children,  did  the  cooking,  sewing,  planting,  and  the  like; 
still  in  these  tasks  they  were  assisted  by  the  children  and  old  men, 
their  labors  making  them  strong  and  robust,  so  that  parturition, 
which  now  proves  death  and  near  death  to  many  white  women, 
was  a  function  so  natural  as  to  cause  neither  pain   or  fear. 

224 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Women  enjoyed  many  prerogatives,  and  among  them  was 
that  all  relationship  was  traced  through  the  mother  and  not  the 
father,  the  children  being  hers  and  not  his.  The  men  did  all  the 
hunting,  trapping,  and  fishing,  which  was  often  dangerous  and 
always  laborious;  for  we  should  remember  that  their  weapons 
and  their  snares  and  traps  for  taking  game  were  very  crude, 
fashioned  by  stone  knives,  stone  hammers,  etc.,  and  they  de- 
pended on  these  to  secure  their  daily  food;  whereas  fishing  and 
hunting  with  us  is  a  costly  sport.  The  men  also  fought  in  the 
wars;  conducted  nearly  all  the  religious  rites  and  ceremonies  and 
made  laws,  though  the  women  had  important  prerogatives  in 
these  matters.  The  men  also  had  the  task  of  memorizing  all 
tribal  records  and  treaties,  which  involved  astonishing  feats  of 
memory,  and  in  some  tribes  the  men  did  the  skin  dressing  and 
even  made  the  clothing  of  their  wives. 

The  Chickasaws  were  a  very  religious  people.  Paustoobee 
said  to  the  great  John  Wesley  in  1736,  "We  believe  there  are  four 
beloved  things  above;  the  clouds,  the  sun,  the  clear  sky  and  He 
that  lives  in  the  clear  sky";  and  they  never  went  to  war  or  en- 
gaged in  any  great  undertaking  until  after  fasting  and  prayer  and 
elaborate  religious  ceremonies.  They  taught  their  religion  to 
their  children,  and  there  were  no  orphans  among  them,  for  if  the 
parents  died,  their  children  were  adopted  into  the  families  of 
their  kindred,  and  under  their  laws  they  were  the  same  in  the 
adopted  family  as  though  born  therein. 

Writers  often  remark  that  no  Indian  was  ever  seen  to  strike 
a  child,  and  yet  the  child  was  taught  strict  obedience,  the  boys 
and  girls  being  taught  their  duties  at  an  early  age;  and  when 
adolescence  arrived,  each  was  taught  what  that  meant,  and  the 
importance  of  fatherhood  and  motherhood,  and  what  marriage 
meant,  and  what  part  they  were  expected  to  take  therein; 
lessons  that  the  white  man  has  not  yet  learned  how  to  impart. 

From  the  very  beginning  the  mother  was  careful  to  teach 
the  infant  to  breathe  through  its  nose  and  not  through  the  mouth 
— so  conducive  to  good  health. 

225 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  ceremonial  by  and  through  which  the  boys  and  girls 
were  initiated  into  manhood  and  womanhood  were  exceedingly 
severe,  and  to  us  cruel  and  inhuman,  sometimes  ending  in  mad- 
ness or  death.  They  argued  that  such  was  necessary  in  order  to 
weed  out  all  those  incompetent  to  meet  the  full  responsibilities 
of  life  in  every  emergency,  and  it  is  said  there  were  no 
hunchback  or  deformed  Indians,  each  being  nearly  a  perfect 
specimen. 

The  primitive  Indian  was  the  closest  student  of  nature  and 
as  James  observes  (p.  68), 

"He  knows  every  plant,  and  when  and  where  it  best  grows. 
He  knows  the  track  of  every  bird,  insect,  reptile,  and  animal. 
He  knows  all  the  signs  of  the  weather.  He  is  a  past-master  in 
woodcraft,  and  knows  more  of  the  habits  of  plants  and  animal 
life  than  all  our  trained  naturalists  put  together." 

I  believe  that  as  regards  our  national  sport  of  baseball  we 
could  learn  a  good  lesson  from  the  Chickasaws,  whose  national 
sport  was  also  a  ball  game.  While  the  Chickasaws,  like  all  other 
races  of  men,  sometimes  gambled,  still  they  drew  the  line  at  their 
ball  game,  betting  on  which  was  strictly  prohibited.  Gambling 
recently  so  corrupted  our  national  sport  of  baseball  as  to  lead  to 
the  employment  of  a  United  States  District  Judge  at  Chicago  to 
clarify  the  sport,  and  this  employment  with  other  matters  caused 
the  Judge  to  be  denounced  in  Congress,  where  articles  of  im- 
peachment were  preferred,  a  scandal  that  could  not  have  hap- 
pened among  the  Chickasaws. 

I  will  add  that  the  Chickasaw  was  essentially  the  child  of  the 
outdoors  in  the  closest  touch  with  all  nature;  and  Eastman 
(p.  189),  whose  Indian  name  was  Ohiyesa,  rejoiced  to  know  that 
in  one  respect  the  white  man  was  learning  from  the  Indian,  in 
that  the  American  Indian  is  the  acknowledged  hero  and  exemplar 
of  the  Boy  Scouts  and  Camp  Fire  Girls,  organizations  which 
have  sprung  up  in  recent  years,  and  which  promise  so  much  good 
for  coming  generations. 

22G 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

And,  finally,  we  might  learn  from  the  primitive  Chickasaw 
that  serenity  of  mind  and  temperament  which  he  so  assiduously 
practiced,  so  that  he  did  not  fret  or  repine  at  the  disappointments 
and  vexations  of  life,  the  common  lot  of  mankind.  These  he 
regarded  as  he  did  the  appearing  of  a  comet,  an  eclipse,  or  an 
earthquake,  as  a  part  of  natural  phenomena  beyond  his  control, 
and  so  made  the  best  of  ill  fortune;  hence  he  did  not  commit 
suicide  or  suffer  a  nervous  prostration  as  does  the  white  man. 
He  knew  that  in  the  orderly  process  of  nature  he  must  die,  and 
awaited  that  event  without  fear  or  useless  repining.  He  loved 
his  nation  passionately,  and  was  every  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life 
upon  the  altar  of  his  country;  and  if  captured  and  tied  to  the 
stake,  amid  the  rising  flames  he  denounced  and  derided  his  en- 
emies, and  shouting  the  glories  of  his  country  he  yielded  up  his 
spirit  to  the  "Beloved  One  who  dwelleth  in  the  blue  sky,"  with 
the  assurance  that  he  was  but  exchanging  the  trials  of  this  life 
for  the  joys  of  another  country,  the  only  one  more  beautiful  and 
dearer  than  his  own. 

Is  there  not  something  in  a  character  like  this  worthy  to  be 
preserved  as  a  national  asset? 

Jefferson  on  Indian  Eloquence— 

I  can  not  forbear  in  this  connection  to  call  attention  to  the 
splendid  oratorical  abilities  of  the  North  American  Indians, 
attested  by  so  many  writers. 

In  his  Notes  on  Virginia  (Vol.  II,  p.  80)  Thomas  Jefferson 
combats  the  statement  of  Buffon  that  not  only  would  European 
animals  in  general  but  European  men  also  would  degenerate  in 
the  climate  of  the  New  World;  and  after  telling  of  the  fine 
physical  appearance  of  the  aborigines,  he  next  treats  of  their 
fine  intellectual  faculties,  which  he  described  in  terms  of  great 
praise.  Speaking  of  their  eloquence  he  said  we  had  but  few 
samples  of  their  ability  in  this  respect,  because  their  speeches 
were  usually  delivered  in  their  councils;  but  referred  to  the 
speech  of  the  justly  celebrated  Logan  in  these  words: 

227 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Imay  challenge  the  whole  orations  of  Demosthenes  and  Cicero, 
and  of  any  more  eminent  orator,  if  Europe  has  furnished  more 
eminent,  to  produce  a  single  passage  superior  to  the  speech  of  Logan, 
a  Mingo  chief,  to  Lord  Dunmore,  then  governor  of  this  State." 

That  masterpiece  of  eloquence  is  given  by  Jefferson  in  these 
words  (Vol.  II,  p.  89): 

"I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say  if  ever  he  entered  Logan's 
cabin  hungry,  and  he  gave  him  not  meat;  if  ever  he  came  cold 
and  naked,  and  he  clothed  him  not.  During  the  course  of  the 
last  long  and  bloody  war  Logan  remained  idle  in  his  cabin, 
an  advocate  for  peace.  Such  was  my  love  for  the  whites,  that 
my  countrymen  pointed  as  they  passed,  and  said,  'Logan  is  the 
friend  of  white  men.'  I  had  even  thought  to  have  lived  with 
you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  one  man.  Colonel  Cresap,  the  last 
spring,  in  cold  blood,  and  unprovoked,  murdered  all  the  relations 
of  Logan,  not  even  sparing  my  women  and  children.  There  runs 
not  a  drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  any  living  creature.  This 
called  on  me  for  revenge.  I  have  sought  it:  I  have  killed  many: 
I  have  fully  glutted  my  vengeance:  For  my  country  I  rejoice 
at  the  beams  of  peace.  But  do  not  harbor  a  thought  that  mine  is 
the  joy  of  fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear.  He  will  not  turn  on  his 
heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Logan?  Not  one." 

As  showing  the  unfairness  of  many  people,  not  to  say  ma- 
levolence in  connection  with  the  Indians  in  general,  I  wish  to 
recall  that  this  speech  of  Logan  was  delivered  in  1774;  that 
Jefferson  wrote  his  notes  in  1781  and  1782,  and  they  were  printed 
in  Paris  in  1784,  containing  this  speech.  Soon  the  authenticity 
of  the  speech  was  denied,  and  in  1797  it  was  declared  to  be  a 
forgery  in  the  public  prints,  and  the  intimation  was  that  Jefferson 
was  the  forger.  In  an  appendix  to  his  Notes  on  Virginia  (Vol.  II, 
p.  304)  he  not  only  indignantly  denied  the  charge  but  published  a 
number  of  the  affidavits  of  prominent  and  disinterested  men  who 
deposed  of  their  own  knowledge  to  the  true  authenticity  of  the 
speech,  as  given  by  Mr.  Jefferson. 

It  may  be  here  remarked  that  Jefferson  states  that  what  he 
said  of  the  aborigines  was  from  personal  knowledge  or  from 

228 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

authentic  sources,  remarking  (p.  81)  he  regarded  as  of  no  value 
the  mere  chance  reports  about  them,  placing  no  more  credence 
therein  than  he  would  to  the  fables  of  Aesop. 

The  name  of  Mr.  Jefferson  recalls  that  the  Chickasaw  chief 
Mushalatubbee  first  met  General  Lafayette  at  the  home  of  the 
sage  of  Monticello;  and  he  again  met  Lafayette  at  Washington 
on  his  last  visit  to  America  in  December,  1824,  when,  according 
to  Drake  (p.  402),  Mushalatubbee  made  this  agreeable  speech  to 
General  Lafayette: 

"You  are  one  of  our  fathers.  You  have  fought  by  the  side  of 
the  great  Washington.  We  will  receive  here  your  hand  as  that  of 
a  friend  and  father. 

"We  have  always  walked  in  the  pure  feelings  of  peace,  and 
it  is  this  feeling  which  has  caused  us  to  visit  you  here.  We 
present  you  pure  hands,  hands  that  have  never  been  stained  with 
the  blood  of  Americans.  We  live  in  a  country  far  from  this, 
where  the  sun  darts  his  perpendicular  rays  upon  us.  We  have  had 
the  French,  the  Spaniards,  and  the  English  for  neighbors;  but 
now  we  have  only  the  Americans;  in  our  midst  and  with  whom  we 
live  as  friends  and  brothers." 

While  the  Chickasaws  were  noted  as  warriors  and  not  for 
oratory,  still,  when  occasion  required,  they  expressed  them- 
selves well  and  eloquently. 

Montaigne's  Opinion  of  the  Indians  and  Their  Government — 

Michael  De  Montaigne  published  his  justly  celebrated  essays 
and  philosophical  reflections  in  1580,  or  exactly  forty  years 
after  De  Soto  first  looked  into  the  faces  of  the  Chickasaws. 

His  book  has  proven  such  a  vast  fountain  of  knowledge  and 
philosophy  that  it  has  been  translated  into  many  languages,  and 
new  editions,  elaborately  annotated,  continue  to  issue  from  the 
press,  even  to  our  day,  while  countless  thousands  of  other  books 
have  since  been  published  and  forgotten.  From  Montaigne's 
inexhaustible  fountain  countless  millions  have  drunk  and  con- 
tinue to  drink,  even  the  great  Shakespeare  freely  borrowing 

229 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

therefrom;  and  as  we  might  expect,  Montaigne  was  greatly 
interested  in  the  new  world  and  the  new  people  found  there, 
and  made  it  a  point  to  personally  see  and  converse  with  some 
Indians  who  were  brought  to  France  to  see  and  converse  with 
King  Charles  the  Ninth,  the  then  king  of  that  country.  Mon- 
taigne tells  us  that  there  was  a  very  reliable  man  of  his  own 
household  who  had  spent  some  ten  to  twelve  years  in  the  new 
country  among  the  Indians,  and  that  this  man  had  at  "divers 
times  brought  me  several  seamen  and  merchants,  that  the  same 
time  went  the  same  voyage." 

Having  thus  informed  himself  from  the  best  sources,  he  treats 
at  length  of  their  government,  their  religion,  their  meat  and  drink, 
their  wars,  their  habits,  and  modes  of  thought,  in  what  sense  they 
were  barbarians,  and  then  philosophizes  (p.  115)  in  part  as  follows: 

"I  am  sorry  that  Lycurgus  and  Plato  had  no  knowledge  of 
them :  For,  to  my  apprehension,  what  we  now  see  in  those  natives 
does  not  only  surpass  all  the  images  with  which  the  poets  have 
adorned  the  golden  age,  and  all  their  inventions  in  feigning  a 
happy  state  of  man,  but,  moreover,  the  fancy,  and  even  the  wish 
and  desire  of  philosophy  itself.  So  native  and  so  pure  a  sim- 
plicity as  we  by  experience  see  to  be  in  them  could  never  enter 
into  their  imagination,  nor  could  they  ever  believe  that  human 
society  could  have  been  maintained  with  so  little  artifice.  Should 
I  tell  Plato  that  it  is  a  nation  wherein  there  is  no  manner  of  traffic, 
no  knowledge  of  letters,  no  science  of  numbers,  no  name  of 
magistrate,  nor  political  superiority;  no  use  of  service,  riches  or 
poverty;  no  contracts,  no  successions,  no  dividends,  no  proper- 
ties, no  employments,  but  those  of  leisure;  no  respect  of  kindred, 
but  in  common;  no  clothing,  no  agriculture,  no  metal,  no  use  of 
corn  (wheat)  or  wine ;  and  where  so  much  as  the  very  words  that 
signify  lying,  treachery,  dissimulation,  avarice,  envy,  detraction, 
and  pardon,  were  never  heard  of — how  much  would  he  find  his 
imaginary  republic  short  of  this  perfection?  Viri  a  diis  recentes, 
'Fresh  from  the  hands  of  the  gods.'  " 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  note  that  Montaigne  expressed  his 
deep  regret  that  these  Indians  had  left  their  own  country  to 

230 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

visit  France,  saying  they  did  so  (p.  119),  "not  foreseeing  how 
dear  their  knowledge  of  the  corruptions  of  this  part  of  the 
world  one  day  (will)  cost  their  happiness  and  repose,  and  that 
the  effect  of  this  commerce  will  be  their  ruin." 


231 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  CHICKASAWS  FROM  THE  TIME  OF  DE  SOTO  UNTIL  THEIR 
FIRST  TREATY  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

We  will  now  take  up  the  thread  of  the  story  of  the  Chicka- 
saws  where  we  left  it  off  with  the  conclusion  of  Chapter  III  in 
April,  1 54 1. 

The  veil  of  oblivion,  so  far  as  authentic  history  is  concerned, 
which  was  for  a  short  time  lifted  from  the  primitive  Chickasaws, 
by  the  De  Soto  expedition  in  1 540-1 541,  again  descended,  and  we 
know  nothing  of  the  Chickasaws  until  the  time  when  Marquette 
descended  the  Mississippi  River  in  1673,  a  period  of  132  years. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  Chickasaws  came  near  destroying 
both  De  Soto  and  his  entire  expedition,  and  that  at  the  end  of  the 
last  battle  an  intrepid  and  daring  Chickasaw  archer  challenged 
the  whole  army  of  De  Soto  to  a  trial  of  skill,  man  to  man  in  single 
combat. 

We  may  be  assured  that  the  Spaniards  never  failed  to  record 
what  took  place,  upon  occasions  of  this  character,  more  favorably 
to  themselves.  According  to  their  story  though,  Juan  de  Salinas, 
an  Asturian  hidalgo,  accepted  the  challenge,  armed  with  a 
crossbow  fashioned  by  all  the  skill  of  the  white  man  and  doubt- 
less shod  with  steel,  while  the  Chickasaw  archer  had  only  his 
rude  bow  and  arrows,  tipped  with  a  flint  all  wrought  out  by  his 
own  hands  and  without  tools;  still  the  trial  of  skill  was  a  draw, 
each  being  wounded  and  received  by  their  respective  companions 
in  arms. 

That  the  primitive  Chickasaws  were  always  the  same,  ever 
the  same,  and  everywhere  the  same,  is  well  illustrated  by  the  very 
first  word  they  were  heard  to  utter  by  Marquette,  132  years  after 
De  Soto's  entire  army  had  been  challenged  to  single  combat  by 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  intrepid  Chickasaw  archer,  whose  name  I  regret  to  say  was 
not  even  recorded  by  the  Spaniards.  This  word  Marquette  at 
first  construed  to  mean  a  declaration  of  war. 

On  page  47  of  John  Gilmary  Shea's  Discovery  and  Explora- 
tion of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  Marquette's  narrative  of  1673  is 
quoted  from  as  follows: 

11  I  hailed  them  in  Huron,  but  they  answered  me  by  a  word 
which  seemed  to  us  a  declaration  of  war.  They  were,  however,  as 
much  frightened  as  ourselves,  and  what  we  took  for  a  signal  of 
war,  was  an  invitation  to  come  near,  that  they  might  give  us 
food;  we  accordingly  landed  and  entered  their  cabins,  where  they 
presented  us  wild-beef  and  bear's  oil,  with  white  plums,  which 
are  excellent.  They  have  guns,  axes,  hoes,  knives,  beads,  and 
double  glass  bottles  in  which  they  keep  the  powder.  They 
wear  their  hair  long  and  mark  their  bodies  in  the  Iroquois 
fashion;  the  headdress  and  clothing  of  their  women  were  like 
those  of  the  Huron  squaws. 

"They  assured  us  that  it  was  not  more  than  ten  days' 
journey  to  the  sea;  that  they  bought  stuffs  and  other  articles  of 
Europeans  on  the  eastern  side ;  that  these  Europeans  had  rosaries 
and  pictures;  that  they  played  on  instruments;  that  some  were 
like  me,  who  received  them  well.  I  did  not,  however,  see  any  one 
who  seemed  to  have  received  any  instructions  in  the  faith;  such 
as  I  could,  I  gave  them  with  some  medals." 

While  the  names  of  these  Indians  are  not  given,  still  in  a  note 
on  the  preceding  page  (46)  it  is  stated : 

"Marquette  had  now  reached  the  country  of  the  warlike 
Chicachas,  whose  territory  extended  several  hundred  miles  along 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  and  far  to  the  eastward,  where  they 
carried  on  a  traffic  with  tribes  who  traded  with  Europeans. — F." 

These  were  no  doubt  Chickasaws,  who  we  well  know  traded 
with  Englishmen  who  landed  their  wares  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
and  brought  them  overland  to  the  Chickasaw  country. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Marquette  was  correct  in  stating 
that,  as  early  as  his  trip  (1673)  down  the  Mississippi,  the  Chicka- 

233 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

saws  had  been  in  communication  with  Europeans  on  the  eastern 
side,  as  he  expressed  it;  that  is  to  say,  with  the  earliest  English 
settlers  in  Virginia  and  Carolina;  and  such  is  the  statement  of 
Claiborne  (p.  57). 

In  1912  Clarence  W.  Alvord  and  Lee  Bidgood  brought  out 
their  work,  The  First  Explorations  of  the  Trans- Allegheny  Region 
by  the  Virginians,  1650-1674,  bringing  forth  the  practically  in- 
accessible and  original  accounts  of  Abraham  Wood,  Thomas 
Batts,  Robert  Fallam,  and  James  Needham,  who  were  the 
first  white  men  to  visit  the  regions  lying  beyond  the  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  Blue  Ridge. 

It  is  stated  and  proven  (p.  52  et  seq.)  that  General  Abraham 
Wood,  a  unique  character,  as  early  as  the  year  1654,  or  at  various 
times  in  the  decade  following  that  year,  visited  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio  and  in  all  probability  reached  the  Mississippi  River.  Wood 
sent  out  various  exploring  parties,  and  among  them  Thomas 
Needham  at  different  times,  and  he  was  the  first  white  explorer 
to  reach  the  Cherokee  country  (p.  82),  visiting  them,  if  not  on 
the  Tennessee,  then  on  one  of  its  main  branches,  the  French 
Broad  or  the  Little  Tennessee  River,  in  the  year  1673.  However, 
before  Needham  could  reach  home,  he  was  treacherously  mur- 
dered by  an  Indian  guide  Occaneechi,  who  had  accompanied 
previous  exploring  parties,  for  which  he  had  been  well  rewarded 
by  Wood. 

In  1 67 1  Batts  and  Fallam,  traveling  in  company,  reached 
the  banks  of  the  New  River,  which  empties  into  the  Kanawha, 
and  it  in  turn  flows  into  the  Ohio.  In  Robert  Fallam's  journal 
(p.  191),  under  date  of  September  17,  1671,  upon  reaching  the 
New  River,  he  states  that  they  first  proclaimed  the  king  in  these 
words : 


"Long  live  Charles  the  Second,  by  the  grace  of  God  king  of 
England,  Scotland,  France,  Ireland,  and  Virginia,  and  of  all 
the  territories  thereunto  belonging,  Defender  of  the  Faith, 
etc." 

234 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Thereupon  guns  were  fired  and  trees  were  marked  as  a 
manual  token  that  the  expedition  had  taken  possession  of  this 
new  and  delightful  country  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  Eng- 
land. 

These  explorers  kept  journals,  now  made  accessible  by 
Alvord  and  Bidgood,  from  which  it  now  appears  that  the  English 
took  possession  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  two  years  before 
Marquette  descended  the  Mississippi,  and  eleven  years  before 
La  Salle  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  affected  to 
take  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  Louis  XIV  of 
France,  naming  it  Louisiana.  So  far,  therefore,  as  formal  proc- 
lamations of  this  character  are  concerned  and  treated  as  vesting 
title  to  the  new  country  in  the  sovereign  thus  proclaimed,  the 
English  title  by  priority  outranked  the  French  title. 

It  is  also  pointed  out  (p.  20)  that  such  distinguished  writers 
as  Francis  Parkman  and  Justin  Winsor  are  in  error  in  upholding 
the  French  claim  as  opposed  to  that  of  the  English  for  priority  of 
discovery. 

While  I  found  nothing  to  show  that  these  early  explorers 
reached  the  Chickasaws,  and  in  fact  I  do  not  suppose  they  went 
to  the  Chickasaw  country,  still  there  is  no  doubt  that  these 
early  English  explorers  were  sending  their  goods  to  and  trading 
with  the  Indians  in  what  was  then  the  far  Western  unexplored 
country,  including  the  Chickasaws. 

Indeed,  Marquette  records  that  in  1673  the  Chickasaws  had 
guns,  axes,  hoes,  knives,  beads,  and  double  glass  bottles  in  which 
they  kept  their  powder ;  and  in  a  note  to  the  text  it  is  stated  that 
these  articles  had  been  obtained  in  traffic  with  tribes  who  traded 
with  Europeans  to  the  east,  and  this  clearly  means  that  these 
articles  came  from  the  English  settled  in  Virginia  and  Carolina. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  acquaintance  of  the  Chicka- 
saws with  the  English-speaking  people,  and  in  the  years  to  come 
this  acquaintance  ripened  into  alliances  of  commerce  and  like- 
wise of  offense  and  defense,  which  has  lasted  without  inter- 
ruption to  this  day,  a  period  of  near  three  hundred  years. 

235 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  the  memorable  expedition  of  Sieur  Robert  Cavalier  de 
La  Salle  down  the  Mississippi  River  in  1682,  he  floated  down  the 
river,  after  stopping  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  according  to  Father 
Zenobe  de  Membre  (who  was  a  member  of  the  expedition  and  kept 
a  journal),  forty- two  leagues,  when  the  expedition  made  a  landing 
on  February  24,  1682,  and  built  what  was  called  Fort  Prudhomme. 

As  the  locality  of  Fort  Prudhomme  has  been  repeatedly 
misstated  by  some  of  the  best  historians,  who  supposed  it  to  have 
been  built  on  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff,  the  present  site  of 
Memphis,  I  will  briefly  state  the  facts  in  reference  thereto. 

Says  Father  Zenobe : 

"On  the  24th  those  whom  we  had  sent  out  to  hunt  all  re- 
turned but  Peter  Prudhomme;  the  rest  reported  that  they  had 
seen  an  Indian  trail,  which  made  us  suppose  our  Frenchman 
killed  or  taken.  This  induced  the  Sieur  de  La  Salle  to  throw  up  a 
fort  and  intrenchment,  and  to  put  some  French  and  Indians  on 
the  trail.  None  relaxed  their  efforts  till  the  first  of  March,  when 
Gabriel  Minime  and  two  Mohegans  took  two  of  five  Indians 
whom  they  discovered. 

"They  said  that  they  belonged  to  the  Sicacha  (Chickasaw) 
nation,  and  that  their  village  was  a  day  and  half  off.  After 
showing  them  every  kindness,  I  set  out  with  the  Sieur  de  La  Salle 
and  half  our  party  to  go  there  in  hopes  of  learning  some  news  of 
Prudhomme;  but  after  having  traveled  the  distance  stated,  we 
showed  the  Indians  that  we  were  displeased  with  their  duplicity; 
they  then  told  us  frankly  that  we  were  still  three  days  off. 
(These  Indians  generally  count  ten  or  twelve  leagues  to  a  day.) 
We  returned  to  camp,  and,  one  of  the  Indians  having  offered  to 
remain,  while  the  other  carried  the  news  to  the  village.  La  Salle 
gave  him  some  goods,  and  he  set  out  after  giving  us  to  under- 
stand that  we  should  meet  their  nation  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
as  we  descended. 

"At  last  Prudhomme,  who  had  been  lost,  was  found  on  the 
ninth  day  and  brought  back  to  the  fort,  so  that  we  set  out  the 
next  day,  which  was  foggy." 

Upon  this  slender  base,  and  without  a  proper  knowledge  of 
the  locality,  and  with  some  touches  of  imagination  thrown  in, 

236 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

a  story  was  built  up  from  time  to  time,  to  the  effect  that  this 
landing  place  was  where  Memphis  is  now  located,  that  is,  on  the 
Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff;  that  La  Salle  built  a  fort  and  cabins 
there,  and  proclaimed  it  and  all  the  country  about  it  from  ocean 
to  ocean  to  belong  to  his  king,  Louis  XIV,  and  named  it  Louisi- 
ana; while  others  pointed  to  the  story  as  showing  that  on  the 
Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff  the  pioneer  building  of  a  future  and  great 
state  was  first  begun.  This  is  a  pretty  story,  but  unfortunately  it 
is  not  true. 

Many  persons  have  labored  under  the  mistaken  belief  that 
there  was  only  one  Chickasaw  Bluff  on  the  Mississippi  River, 
north  of  the  present  northern  boundary  line  of  the  State  of 
Mississippi,  which  intersects  the  river  on  the  thirty-fifth  degree  of 
north  latitude;  whereas  there  are  four  such  bluffs,  Memphis 
being  on  the  fourth  bluff. 

These  bluffs  are  mere  extensions  of  the  west  Tennessee 
plateau  to  the  Mississippi  River,  the  first  touching  the  river  at 
what  is  now  Fulton,  Tennessee,  opposite  the  lower  end  of  Island 
33,  some  sixty- two  miles  by  river  above  Memphis;  the  second  is 
at  Randolph,  about  ten  miles  by  water  below  the  first  bluff;  the 
third  is  opposite  Island  34,  while  the  fourth  is  but  an  extension  of 
what  I  have  called  the  Tippah  Highlands,  with  Wolf  River 
flowing  into  the  Mississippi  at  the  north,  and  Nonconnah,  form- 
erly called  Chickasaw  Creek,  flowing  into  the  Mississippi  some 
four  to  five  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Wolf,  the  bluff  rising 
abruptly  from  the  water,  with  a  fine  hinterland  stretching  back 
eastwardly,  heretofore  particularly  described,  on  which  Memphis 
was  built. 

Returning  now  to  the  plain  story  as  indicated  above,  La 
Salle  landed  on  the  first  highland,  which  was  the  first  Chickasaw 
Bluff,  and  one  of  his  hunters,  named  Peter  Prudhomme,  having 
become  lost,  a  temporary  entrenchment  or  fort  was  thrown 
up,  while  members  of  the  expedition  went  in  search  of  the  lost 
hunter,  who  being  found  on  the  ninth  day,  the  expedition  pro- 
ceeded down  the  river,  calling  the  place  Prudhomme  after  the 

237 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

man  who  was  lost  for  nine  days.  Those  who  may  be  curious  to 
study  the  details  of  this  incident  in  the  voyage  of  La  Salle, 
which  has  been  so  misunderstood,  are  referred  to  an  excellent 
article  by  Judge  J.  P.  Young  in  the  Tennessee  Historical  Magazine 
for  1916  (p.  235),  to  which  reference  is  here  made. 

The  facts,  though  briefly  stated,  show  that  the  Chickasaws 
were  on  the  date  mentioned,  viz:  February  24,  1682,  in  pos- 
session of  what  is  now  west  Tennessee,  but  that  the  main  seat  of 
their  villages  or  homes  was  some  several  days'  travel  southward, 
presumably  about  where  De  Soto  found  them  in  1540,  or  140 
years  prior  thereto,  in  what  is  now  north  Mississippi. 

Among  the  documents  and  papers  published  in  the  Pierre 
Margry  collection  (which  being  in  French  I  could  not  read), 
there  is  attached  to  the  front  of  Volume  3  what  purports  to  be  a 
copy  of  an  ancient  map  of  North  America  from  the  50th  degree 
to  the  25th  degree  of  north  latitude,  and,  of  course,  this  takes 
in  the  country  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  both  inclu- 
sive. 

It  is  stated  that  the  map  shows  the  country  as  discovered  by 
Sieur  La  Salle  in  the  years  1679,  1680,  1681  and  1682.  While  the 
map  is  far  from  perfect,  still  it  is  as  nearly  correct  as  could  be 
expected  when  made  at  such  an  early  date. 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  the  villages  of  the  Chickasaws 
are  plainly  shown  on  the  map  at  or  about  the  place  where  De 
Soto  found  them,  while  in  a  large  scope  of  country  opposite  them 
on  the  west  of  the  Mississippi,  there  is  a  note  stating  that, 
while  there  are  Indian  villages  there,  their  names  are  unknown; 
and  likewise  as  to  a  large  scope  of  country  to  the  east  of  the 
Chickasaws,  there  is  a  note  that  the  names  of  the  savage  inhabi- 
tants are  unknown. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  intrepid  and  warlike  Chickasaws  were 
a  conspicuous  people,  who  had  made  a  lasting  impression  from 
the  most  remote  times  upon  the  whole  country,  their  name  and 
fame  reaching  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  great  territory  over 
which  they  were  the  supreme  overlords. 

238 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Iberville  and  Bienville  Meet  the  Chickasaws — 

We  next  hear  of  the  Chickasaws  in  1702,  when  they  met  the 
two  celebrated  brothers,  Pierre  Lemoyne,  Sieur  d' Iberville, 
usually  called  Iberville,  and  Jean  Baptiste  Lemoyne,  Sieur  de 
Bienville,  usually  called  Bienville,  at  the  time  they  were  founding 
the  present  city  of  Mobile,  Alabama. 

The  father  of  these  noted  brothers  was  Charles  LeMoyne, 
born  in  Normandy,  France,  in  1624,  who  emigrated  to  Canada  in 
1 64 1,  where  he  climbed  the  ladder  of  fortune  and  fame.  He  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  the  wars  with  the  Iroquois  and  the  English, 
was  ennobled  by  Louis  XIV  in  1668,  as  Sieur  deLongueuil.  He  was 
intensely  patriotic  and  was  the  father  of  fourteen  children,  all 
of  whom  were  noted,  three  of  whom  died  in  the  wars  with  England. 

Iberville  and  Bienville  were  born  in  Canada,  but,  inheriting 
the  patriotic  fervor  of  their  father,  set  sail  for  the  far  South,  and 
in  1702  they  founded  the  present  city  of  Mobile,  Alabama,  and 
in  17 1 8  Bienville  founded  the  present  city  of  New  Orleans, 
Louisiana. 

These  noted  brothers  were  far-seeing  men,  and,  while  laying 
out  the  site  for  Mobile,  Iberville,  the  older,  and  therefore  in 
command,  was  taken  sick  while  on  a  trip  to  Pensacola;  he  sent 
two  Canadians  to  Mobile  with  directions  to  Bienville  to  let  Tonty 
pick  ten  men  to  visit  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws.  Tonty  was 
to  make  presents  to  these  nations,  conclude  peace,  and  bring 
them  to  Mobile,  so  that  treaties  of  peace  and  friendship  might  be 
concluded. 

We  learn  from  Hamilton,  an  excellent  authority  (2nd  Ed., 
p.  57),  that  on  Sunday,  March  25  (1702),  Tonty  returned  with 
seven  chiefs  and  principal  men  of  the  Chickasaws  (Chicachas) 
and  four  Choctaw  chiefs.  Iberville  made  them  presents  of 
considerable  powder,  ball,  and  lead,  twelve  guns,  besides  hatchets, 
knives,  kettles,  beads,  gun  flints,  and  other  small  things.  Next 
day  he  addressed  them  in  due  form,  Bienville  acting  as  inter- 
preter, exhorting  the  two  nations  to  conclude  peace  and  abandon 
the  English,  who  only  aimed  at  making  slaves  of  them.     He 

239 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

cited  the  death  of  over  eighteen  hundred  Choctaws,  the  capture 
of  over  five  hundred  prisoners  who  were  sold  away,  and  the  loss 
of  over  eight  hundred  Chickasaws  during  this  war  of  eight  or  ten 
years.  If  they  would  drive  out  the  English,  he  would  make  the 
Illinois  cease  war  upon  them,  and  would  establish  a  trading 
station,  where  they  could  obtain  all  kinds  of  goods  in  exchange 
for  skins  of  beef,  deer,  and  bear. 

The  talk  was  satisfactory,  and  general  peace  was  arranged. 
Word  was  sent  to  the  Illinois,  to  Davyon  among  the  Tonicas, 
Foucaut  among  the  Arkansas,  and  St.  Cosme  at  the  Nadeches 
(Natchez),  and  the  governor  wrote  also  to  the  grand  vicar  of 
Quebec,  at  the  Tamaroas,  to  send  missionaries  among  the  Chick- 
asaws and  Choctaws  as  soon  as  possible.  With  the  returning 
Chickasaws  was  sent  back  a  little  St.  Michel  child  to  learn  the 
language.  Iberville  heard  much  that  he  would  find  useful  as  to 
numbers  and  location  oc  the  several  tribes.  The  promised 
trading-post  was  to  be  established  on  the  upper  Mobile  River 
between  the  two  tribes,  three  or  four  leagues  from  the  Cha- 
quechoumas  and  twelve  or  fifteen  from  the  Chickasaws. 

We  note  here  that  from  the  comparatively  small  Chickasaw 
nation  seven  chiefs  and  principal  men  were  brought  by  Tonty  to 
this  all-important  conference,  whereas  only  four  chiefs  came  from 
the  much  larger  Choctaw  nation,  and  also  that  a  little  child  was 
sent  back  with  the  Chickasaws  to  learn  their  language,  none 
being  sent  to  the  Choctaws.  Iberville  and  Bienville  no  doubt 
fully  appreciated  the  fact  that  this  small  Chickasaw  nation  at  that 
time  constituted  the  dominant  factor  to  be  reckoned  with  by 
France  in  solving  the  all-important  problem  of  the  free  naviga- 
tion of  the  Mississippi  River.  Over  its  waves  it  was  imperatively 
necessary  to  France  that  her  pioneer  soldiers  of  fortune  and 
colonists  should  have  undisputed  sway  and  rule;  otherwise  her 
possessions  along  the  St.  Lawrence  and  great  lakes  of  the  far 
North  could  not  be  consolidated  and  bound  together  with  those 
in  the  far  South,  with  Mobile  as  the  principal  base  for  colonization 
on  the  Mexican  Gulf. 

240 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

We  also  note  that  notice  of  this  treaty  was  sent  to  the  Illinois 
Indians,  the  hereditary  enemies  of  the  Chickasaws  and  friends  of 
the  French;  to  Davyon  among  the  Tonicas,  Foucaut  among  the 
Arkansas,  also  the  enemies  of  the  Chickasaws  and  friends  of  the 
French;  to  St.  Cosme  among  the  Natchez,  and  also  that  Iberville 
wrote  to  the  grand  vicar  in  far-away  Quebec  to  send  Catholic 
missionaries  among  both  the  chickasaws  and  choctaws,  the 
object  being  to  bind  these  Indians  by  the  ties  of  the  church  as 
well  as  by  the  terms  of  the  treaty. 

Plans  were  thus  maturing  for  at  least  two  French  coloniza- 
tion stations  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  and  one  each  on  the  Ohio 
and  Missouri,  with  more  to  be  added  as  soon  as  practicable. 
Hamilton  (p.  59)  very  correctly  observes: 

"Perhaps  we  may  say  that  he  (Iberville)  thus  foresaw  the 
necessity  for  New  Orleans,  Memphis,  Louisville,  and  St.  Louis, 
if  he  did  not  select  these  sites." 

By  and  through  these  plans  the  French  would  have  over  the 
Mississippi,  as  well  as  over  its  tributaries  and  the  streams  flowing 
into  the  gulf,  a  network  for  river  trade  with  the  Indians  and  for 
colonization,  while  the  English  would  have  to  transport  their 
wares  and  colonists  on  pack  horses  overland  across  the  Allegheny 
Mountains,  at  much  greater  expense  and  delay;  and  in  process  of 
time  these  noted  brothers,  Iberville  and  Bienville,  dreamed  of 
the  day  when  pressure  from  the  north,  the  south,  and  the  west 
would  eventually  drive  the  thin  line  of  English  settlements  on 
the  Atlantic  into  the  sea,  thus  bringing  America  under  the  ex- 
clusive sway  of  the  lilies  and  cross  of  France. 

It  was  a  noble  dream,  an  ambition  worthy  of  these  dis- 
tinguished French  brothers. 

However,  destiny  ruled  otherwise,  and  the  lion  and  the  eagle 
now  dominate  the  American  continent.  Much  credit  for  this 
is  due  to  the  Chickasaw  nation,  a  story  as  yet  not  fully  told ;  and 
a  desire  to  contribute  to  a  better  understanding  of  the  debt  due 

241 


/ 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  Chickasaw  nation  from  the  English-speaking  world  was  one 
of  the  main  inspirations  for  extending  this  sketch. 

It  may  be  noted  in  passing  that,  while  Iberville  had  in 
preparation  plans  for  attacking  the  English  settlements  on  the 
Atlantic,  he  was  attacked  with  yellow  fever  and  died  at  a  com- 
paratively early  age  in  Havana,  in  the  year  1706.  Further  on  we 
will  frequently  meet  Bienville  in  the  further  progress  of  this  sketch. 

Population  of  the  Primitive  Chickasaws— 

While  there  were  legends  among  the  Chickasaws  that  an- 
ciently they  numbered  ten  thousand  souls,  this  was  probably  an 
overestimate;  but  it  is  not  at  all  impossible  that  their  numbers 
had  greatly  diminished  when  they  first  came  under  the  light  of 
historic  times.  The  Spaniards  under  De  Soto  gave  no  estimate 
of  their  numbers.  Adair  states  they  had  been  much  more 
numerous  than  in  his  time,  one  of  the  two  divisions,  the  "Long 
House,"  then  numbering  not  more  than  four  hundred  and  fifty 
warriors,  which  would  indicate  a  population  of  1600  to  1800 
persons.  He  gives  no  estimate  of  the  other  division,  but  as- 
suming it  to  be  about  the  same,  the  population  of  the  entire 
nation  was  between  three  thousand  and  four  thousand  souls. 

In  the  battle  with  D'Artaguette  in  1736,  the  French  esti- 
mated the  Chickasaw  warriors  in  that  conflict  at  five  hundred, 
and  six  days  thereafter  in  the  battle  of  Ackia  at  four  hundred  and 
fifty  warriors;  while  the  United  States  commissioners  who 
signed  the  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Chickasaws  in  1786  estimated 
the  whole  number  of  their  warriors  at  eight  hundred.  At  the 
same  time  the  same  commissioners  estimated  the  warriors  of  the 
near  neighbors  of  the  Chickasaws,  with  whom  they  were  fre- 
quently at  war,  as  follows :  The  Cherokee  nation,  2,000  warriors ; 
Upper  and  Lower  Creek  warriors,  5,400;  Choctaw  warriors, 
6,000,  and  the  Chickasaw  warriors  as  stated  above  at  only  800, 
the  total  number  of  the  four  tribes  being  14,200  warriors. 

According  to  these  estimates,  which  were  probably  the  most 
accurate  of  any  at  that  day,  the  Chickasaws  were  outnumbered 

242 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

by  the  Choctaws  nearly  seven  to  one;  by  the  Creeks  six  to  one, 
and  by  the  Cherokees  nearly  three  to  one ;  and  the  marvel  of  all 
who  traveled  among  them,  and  who  knew  them  and  the  other 
nations  mentioned,  was  how  they  managed  to  come  off  victorious 
in  all  conflicts,  not  only  with  their  warlike  neighbors,  as  well  as 
with  all  other  Indian  nations  from  the  far  North  or  the  West, 
who  often  invaded  their  country,  but  also  in  their  conflicts  with 
the  Spanish  and  French. 

Chickasaw*  Friends  of  the  English — 

From  the  earliest  dates  at  which  we  hear  of  the  Chickasaws, 
succeeding  the  settlements  made  on  the  Atlantic  coast  and  west- 
ward by  various  European  nations,  the  Chickasaws  were  the 
firm  friends  of  the  English. 

On  the  other  hand  the  Choctaws,  Natchez,  Creeks,  and 
others  favored  first  the  Spaniards  and  then  the  French,  and 
again  the  Spaniards,  while  the  Chickasaws  were  always  true  to 
the  English.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  whites  fomented 
wars  between  the  various  tribes  to  subserve  their  own  selfish 
purposes. 

We  learn  from  Claiborne  that  in  1705  the  Chickasaws  sold 
some  Choctaw  families  to  English  traders,  who  carried  them  to 
Carolina  where  they  were  sold  as  slaves.  No  doubt  the  Chicka- 
saws were  incited  to  this  by  the  English  traders,  but  in  the  end 
punishment  was  visited  on  the  Chickasaws  and  not  the  English 
traders,  as  we  learn  from  the  sequel.  Naturally,  the  sale  of  the 
Choctaws  into  slavery  created  a  rupture  between  the  Choctaws 
and  Chickasaws  when  the  news  arrived,  at  which  time  there 
happened  to  be  some  seventy  Chickasaws  at  Mobile.  Being 
afraid  to  undertake  to  pass  alone  through  the  territory  of  the 
Choctaws,  they  begged  Bienville  for  an  escort,  which  was  given. 
On  arriving  at  the  first  village  of  the  Choctaws  the  chief  said  he 
would  not  oppose  their  passage  through  his  country,  but  he 
desired  to  reprimand  them  for  their  treachery  in  the  presence 
of  the  French  escort  and  took  his  stand  in  the  center  of  the  square, 

243 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

having  in  his  hands  a  pipe  and  a  plume  of  eagle  feathers.  The 
Chickasaws  were  then  invited  to  sit  around  him  in  a  circle,  and 
a  cordon  of  Choctaws  formed  around  them. 

The  chief  then  began  a  tirade  against  the  Chickasaws, 
ending  by  saying  "you  deserve  to  die ,"and  dropped  his  plume, 
which  was  a  signal  to  strike,  and  most  of  the  Chickasaws  were 
slain  before  they  could  arise. 

The  Chickasaws  having  thus  been  murdered  in  the  presence 
of  the  French  escort,  they  believed  that  the  massacre  had  taken 
place  with  the  connivance  of  the  French,  and  forever  thereafter 
became  the  deadly  enemies  of  the  French ;  at  least  such  was  the 
opinion  of  Claiborne  (p.  29). 

I  do  not  doubt  that  the  treacherous  acts  of  the  Choctaws 
in  the  presence  of  the  French  escort  created  a  bitter  enmity  to- 
wards the  French ;  but  I  believe  that  the  antipathy  reached  far 
back  to  the  remote  past,  even  to  the  days  of  1541,  when  De 
Soto  violated  Chickasaw  hospitality  and  thereby  made  them  his 
deadly  foes. 

I  am  not  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  De  Soto  commanded 
Spaniards  and  not  Frenchmen;  but  we  must  remember  that  both 
the  Spanish  and  French  people  belong  to  the  great  Latin  family 
and  have  very  many  traits  and  characteristics  in  common.  Each 
made  it  a  point  to  have  with  every  expedition  and  settlement  a 
Catholic  priest,  who  indeed  were  themselves  among  the  boldest 
of  early  explorers.  In  this  connection  it  will  be  recalled  that  the 
young  Chickasaw  chief  Paustoobee  in  a  conversation  with  Mr. 
Wesley  in  1736  called  the  French  priests  black  kings,  and  said 
they  did  not  go  among  the  people  as  did  Mr.  Wesley. 

When  we  remember  that  nothing  escaped  the  vigilance  of 
the  Chickasaws,  and  that  they  selected  a  certain  number  of  the 
young  men  of  each  generation,  to  whom  was  imparted  the  im- 
portant history  of  the  past  for  the  future  guidance  of  posterity, 
can  we  doubt  that  the  Chickasaws  of  1700  were  perfectly  familiar 
with  the  De  Soto  war  in  1541,  with  a  clear  and  accurate  concep- 
tion of  those  who  composed  that  expedition  so  as  to  enable  them 

244 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

to  dovetail   their  characteristics  with   the  early  Spanish   and 
French  settlers? 

I  do  not  doubt  it  for  one  moment,  and  this  was  the  begin- 
ning of  their  enmity  which  never  ceased,  a  true  characteristic  of 
the  North  American  Indian. 


So  far  as  my  researches  have  extended,  the  first  official  visit 
of  an  Englishman  to  the  Chickasaws  was  that  of  Captain  Young, 
a  British  officer,  who,  according  to  Claiborne,  met  the  Chickasaw 
chief  in  a  grand  council  in  1715,  the  purpose  of  Captain  Young 
being  to  attach  the  Chickasaws  to  the  government  of  the  English 
king.  

Causes  Leading  to  the  Extirpation  of  the  Natchez- 
While  it  is  generally  stated  by  writers  that  the  Chickasaws 
incited  the  Natchez  to  attack  the  French,  and  while  no  doubt  the 
Chickasaws  sympathized  and  advised  with  the  Natchez,  still  I 
think  too  much  stress  has  been  laid  on  the  Chickasaw  enmity  to 
the  French  as  the  provoking  cause  of  the  war  which  led  to  the 
extermination  of  the  Natchez,  that  splendid  and  furthest  ad- 
vanced tribe  of  Indians  on  the  American  continent  north  of  Mexico. 
I  am  fortified  in  this  conclusion  after  a  very  careful  reading  of 
Monsieur  Le  Parge  DuPratz's  history  of  Louisiana,  which  first 
appeared  in  1758  in  French.  He  was  a  French  officer  and  warmly 
attached  to  his  native  country.  He  settled  among  the  Natchez  in 
1720,  and  was  a  participant  in  the  Natchez  wars  and  had  his 
information  at  first  hands. 

After  stating  that  the  Natchez  Indians  cordially  welcomed 
the  early  French  settlers  and  that  the  French  would  have  perished 
but  for  the  unfailing  and  continued  assistance  of  the  Natchez, 
he  then  states  the  causes  of  the  first  war,  which  may  be  thus 
briefly  summarized : 

In  1723  a  young  French  soldier  extended  credit  to  an  old 
Natchez  warrior,  who  was  to  pay  the  debt  in  corn;  the  soldier 

245 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

made  demand  for  the  corn,  and  the  old  warrior  replied  that  the 
corn  was  not  yet  hard;  but  that  as  soon  as  it  was  ripe,  it  would 
be  delivered.  This  was  answered  by  an  insult  from  the  white 
soldier,  and  in  the  altercation  which  ensued  the  old  warrior  was 
shot  to  death,  and  the  complaint  of  the  Indians  was  only  met  by 
a  mild  reprimand  of  the  young  soldier.  DuPratz  then  very 
properly  observes, 

"Revenge  is  the  predominant  passion  of  the  people  in 
America;  so  that  we  ought  not  to  be  surprized  if  the  death 
of  this  old  warrior  raised  his  whole  village  against  the  French 
(seep.  37)." 

A  war  ensued,  and  six  years  thereafter,  that  is,  in  1729,  the 
Natchez  massacred  nearly  every  Frenchman  in  the  colony,  or 
about  700  persons.  DuPratz  gives  at  length  and  in  much  detail 
the  causes  leading  to  this  catastrophe,  which  may  be  thus 
condensed : 

The  Sieur  de  Chopart  had  been  commandant  of  the  Natchez 
post,  from  which  he  was  removed  on  account  of  some  acts  of 
injustice.  Soon  thereafter  M.  Perrier  was  appointed  comman- 
dant general,  and  upon  his  arrival  Chopart  represented  that  he 
had  commanded  the  post  (in  the  language  of  DuPratz)  "with 
applause,"  and  thereby  prevailed  on  Perrier  to  reappoint  him. 

Chopart  at  once  summoned  the  Sun  of  the  White  Apple, 
and  notified  him  that  he  and  all  his  people  must  vacate  at  once 
the  village  of  the  White  Apple,  which  was  at  least  a  square 
league  in  extent,  as  he  wished  to  build  thereon  a  new  town  for 
the  French. 

Says  DuPratz  (p.  80). 

"The  commandant  doubtless  supposed  that  he  was  speak- 
ing to  a  slave,  whom  we  may  command  in  a  tone  of  absolute 
authority.  But  he  knew  not  that  the  natives  of  Louisiana 
are  such  enemies  to  a  state  of  slavery  that  they  prefer  death 
itself  thereto;  above  all,  the  Suns,  accustomed  to  govern  des- 
potically, have  still  a  greater  aversion  to  it." 

246 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  massacre  of  the  French  led  in  turn  to  the  massacre  of 
the  Natchez,  who  had  in  the  meantime  fled  in  a  body  across  the 
Mississippi  and  found  a  new  home  on  Silver  Creek,  about  sixty 
leagues  from  the  mouth  of  Red  River.  Nearly  all  the  Natchez 
were  put  to  the  sword;  the  few  taken  prisoners  were  cast  into 
slavery  by  the  French  and  thus  disposed  of.  According  to  Du- 
Pratz  (p.  95): 

"Some  time  after,  these  slaves  were  embarked  for  St. 
Domingo,  in  order  to  root  out  that  nation  in  the  colony; 
which  was  the  only  method  of  effecting  it,  as  the  few  that  escaped 
had  not  a  tenth  of  the  women  necessary  to  recruit  the  nation. 
And  thus  that  nation,  the  most  conspicuous  in  the  colony,  and  most 
useful  to  the  French  was  destroyed." 

The  italics  are  mine. 

The  Real  Cause  of  the  War  Made  by  the 
French  on  the  Chickasaws — 

The  sentence  last  quoted  from  DuPratz  concludes  Chapter 
XII  of  his  history,  and  the  first  sentence  of  the  next  (Chapter 
XIII,  p.  96)  is  as  follows: 

"The  war  with  the  Chickasaws  was  owing  to  their  having 
received  and  adopted  the  Natchez :  Though  in  this  respect  they 
acted  only  according  to  an  inviolable  usage  and  sacred  custom, 
established  among  all  the  nations  of  North  America;  that  when 
a  nation,  weakened  by  war,  retires  for  shelter  to  another,  who 
are  willing  to  adopt  them,  and  is  pursued  thither  by  their  enemies, 
this  is  in  effect  to  declare  war  against  the  nation  adopting." 

While  this  was  indeed  the  only  ostensible  reason  for  this  war, 
it  was  not  in  point  of  fact  the  true  reason ;  which  was  that  the 
country  of  the  Chickasaws  lay  exactly  between  the  French  pos- 
sessions in  Louisiana  in  the  far  South  and  their  possessions  in  the 
far  North  upon  the  great  lakes  and  along  the  shores  of  the  St. 
Lawrence.  A  chain  of  forts  and  uninterrupted  communications 
along  the  Mississippi  River  could  never  be  maintained  between 

247 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

these  distant  colonies,  so  long  as  the  Chickasaws  commanded  the 
eastern  shores  of  the  Mississippi. 

We  learn  from  Adair  that,  in  their  canoes  made  of  the  bark 
of  the  giant  cypress,  they  fared  forth  upon  the  bosom  of  the 
Father  of  Waters  and  that  they  were  as  much  at  home  on  the 
water  as  on  the  land;  and  DuPratz  (p.  97)  records  how  they 
captured  on  the  Mississippi  and  put  to  death  some  Frenchmen 
who  were  transporting  powder,  etc.,  between  Bienville  and 
D'Artaguette  in  preparation  for  the  ensuing  war.  Bienville, 
with  the  full  approval  of  the  home  government,  determined  to 
extirpate  the  Chickasaws,  as  had  been  done  with  the  Natchez, 
and  forever  cement  the  possessions  of  the  French  in  the  far 
North  with  those  in  the  far  South;  but  not  only  the  right,  but 
the  fates  were  against  him. 

In  vain  the  Chickasaws  plead  with  Bienville,  pointing  out 
that  they  could  not  with  self-respect  <rr  with  the  respect  of 
mankind  surrender  the  fugitive  Natchez,  who  had  sought  an 
asylum  with  the  Chickasaws. 

In  vain  the  Chickasaws  pointed  out  that,  according  to  all 
laws  and  usages,  as  the  Natchez  had  ceased  to  exist  as  a  nation, 
and  a  mere  remnant  had  been  received  by  the  Chickasaws  and 
adopted,  they  thereby  became  a  part  and  parcel  of  the  Chickasaw 
nation  and  as  such  could  not  be  surrendered;  or,  as  Claiborne 
(P-  59)  phrases  it,  the  noble  answer  of  the  Chickasaws  was, 
"they  have  come  to  us  for  shelter  and  can  not  be  surren- 
dered." 

Bienville  first  endeavored  to  incite  the  Choctaws,  who  had 
treacherously  aided  the  French  in  the  extermination  of  the 
Natchez,  to  declare  war  on  the  Chickasaws  and  destroy  them  with 
the  same  ruthlessness  as  with  the  Natchez.  No  doubt  the 
Choctaws  had  no  scruples  as  to  the  undertaking,  but  they 
feared  the  Chickasaws.  Finally  Bienville  engaged  the  wily  and 
shrewd  Choctaw  chief  Shulush  Humma  (in  English,  Red  Shoes) 
to  march  against  the  Chickasaws  with  one  thousand  Choctaw 
warriors    and  thirty  white  soldiers  under  DeLusser;  but  the 

248 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Chickasaws  opened   up  communication    with    the  enemy  and 
found  little  difficulty  in  buying  them  off. 

Bienville  Makes  War  on  the  Chickasaws — 

Being  convinced  that  he  must  take  the  command  in  person, 
Bienville  set  about  making  elaborate  preparations  which  took 
some  years  to  formulate  and  place  his  army  in  the  field. 

According  to  Cushman  (p.  458)  Bienville  wrote  to  the  French 
minister  of  marine  for  four  additional  companies  of  troops,  as 
he  then  had  only  two  hundred  men,  with  which  he  did  not  wish 
to  risk  the  honor  and  glory  of  France  in  a  battle  with  the  Chicka- 
saws "who  could  call  into  the  field  four  hundred  and  fifty  war- 
riors." 

His  appeal  was  acknowledged  by  the  arrival,  soon  after,  of 
more  troops;  and  Bienville,  without  further  delay,  commenced 
his  preparations  for  un  exterminating  expedition  against  the 
still  resolute  and  defiant  Chickasaws,  with  the  avowed  de- 
termination to  wipe  them  out  as  a  nation  and  take  possession 
of  their  territory. 

Elated  with  the  flattering  prospect  of  the  complete  success 
of  his  plans,  he  organized  two  armies,  one  in  Mobile,  then  in 
the  Choctaw  nation,  the  other  in  Illinois;  the  former  to  be 
commanded  by  himself,  the  latter  by  D'Artaguette,  then  governor 
of  the  Illinois  district.  The  two  were  to  form  a  junction  by  the 
31st  of  March,  1736,  in  the  Chickasaw  territory  at  the  village, 
where,  196  years  before,  De  Soto  had  wintered,  and  had  received 
a  just  rebuke  to  his  folly  in  regarding  that  people  to  be  a 
race  of  "savage  cowards." 

Bienville  had  instructed  D'Artaguette  to  meet  him  with  all 
the  French  troops  he  could  possibly  collect,  and  also  with  as 
many  warriors  of  his  Indian  allies  as  he  could  get.  This  in- 
vasion, with  the  avowed  purpose  of  exterminating  the  Chicka- 
saws, was  planned  and  undertaken  by  the  direction  of  the 
French  government,  "whose  solicitude  was  anxiously  turned  to  it 
with  high  anticipations  of  a  successful  result."     Bienville  had 

249 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

moved  from  New  Orleans  to  Mobile  to  give  his  personal  attention 
to  the  details  of  the  expedition  he  was  to  command,  and  had 
arranged  for  the  provisions  to  be  supplied  from  New  Orleans, 
the  artillery  from  France,  and  five  hundred  troops  from  the 
garrisons  at  Natchitoches,  Natchez,  and  Mobile,  including  a 
company  of  volunteers  from  New  Orleans  and  another  of  un- 
married men,  also  some  sixty  Swiss  mercenaries,  besides  forty- 
five  negroes  under  Simon,  the  then  noted  brave  free  negro. 
Hamilton  says : 

"They  embarked  in  front  of  Fort  Conde  in  thirty  large 
pirogues  and  as  many  flatboats.  Mobile  River  had  never  seen 
so  stirring  a  sight  as  the  expedition  that  gaily  rowed  off  on  the 
morning  of  that  first  day  of  April,  1736.  The  glint  of  the  lilied 
flags  on  the  boats  bearing  Bienville  and  his  staff  was  answered 
by  the  waving  banner  of  Fort  Conde,  and  the  salute  of  the 
cannon  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  islands  in  front.  But  gradually 
the  flotilla  got  out  of  sight,  the  seabirds  settled  back  to  their 
haunts,  and  the  people  dispersed  to  their  occupations.  For  two 
months  they  dreamed  of  victories." 

This  flotilla,  proceeding  by  water  up  the  Tombigbee  to  near 
the  Chickasaw  country,  did  not  by  any  means  comprise  the 
whole  army  of  Bienville,  for  the  renegade  Choctaws,  for  so 
many  goods  then  delivered  and  so  much  more  to  be  delivered  at 
the  meeting  place  near  the  Chickasaws,  furnished  at  least  twelve 
hundred  warriors,  according  to  DuPratz  (p.  98),  who  were 
commanded  by  their  great  chief;  and  these  Choctaws  marched 
up  the  left  bank  of  the  Tombigbee,  and  met  the  army  under 
Bienville.  In  due  course  Bienville  reached  Tuninuntuchche  (in 
English,  "where  the  bow  was  strung")  called  by  the  English 
Cotton  Gin  Port,  which  was  some  twenty  odd  miles  from  the 
Chickasaw  Old  Fields,  and  here  at  once  threw  up  a  fort  to 
protect  his  army  of  near  two  thousand  men  against  the 
Chickasaws,  who,  according  to  the  French,  could  not  muster 
over  450  warriors,  and  the  probability  is  this  was  an  over- 
estimate. 

250 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  Signal  Defeat  of  D'Artaquette— 

If  we  have  regard  to  chronology,  that  is,  the  order  by  suc- 
cession of  events  as  time  rolls  on,  then  we  must  for  the  time 
being  leave  Bienville,  with  his  army  protected  by  fortifications 
and  by  his  Choctaw  allies,  who  were  thrown  out  as  spies  and 
scouts  in  all  directions  to  prevent  an  unexpected  attack. 

This  army,  consisting  of  respectable  merchants  and  gentle- 
men of  leisure  and  fortune,  as  well  as  loafers  and  convicts, 
veteran  soldiers,  monks  and  priests,  Choctaws  and  Mobilians, 
a  company  of  negroes  commanded  by  the  mulatto,  Simon  the 
black,  and  some  Swiss  mercenaries,  were  all  recruited  along  the 
shores  of  the  Mexican  Gulf;  but  Bienville  was  taking  no  chances 
with  the  intrepid  Chickasaws,  and  it  will  be  recalled  that  under 
his  orders  D'Artaguette  had  mustered  into  service  another 
French  army  upon  the  unsalted  seas  of  the  North  and  along  the 
shores  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  in  the  far  North. 

By  appointment  these  two  armies  were  to  meet  near  the 
Chickasaws  on  March  31,  1736,  and  crush  as  between  the  upper 
and  nether  millstone  the  intrepid  Chickasaws. 

During  the  previous  season  Bienville  had  sent  provisions, 
powder,  and  balls  to  D'Artaguette  by  way  of  the  Mississippi; 
and  while  the  voyagers  were  harassed  by  the  ever-vigilant 
Chickasaws  issuing  forth  upon  the  Father  of  Waters  in  their 
cypress  canoes,  still  a  safe  landing  was  made  at  Fort  St.  Francis. 
Subsequently,  however,  when  D'Artaguette  sent  a  crew  to  fetch 
the  munitions  of  war,  we  learn  from  DuPratz  (p.  97),  a  co- 
temporary  of  those  times,  that  the  Chickasaws, 

"finding  a  boat  laden  with  gun-powder,  designed  for  his  post, 

and  for  the  service  of  the  war  intended  against  the  Chickasaws, 

*     *     *     was  taken  by  the  Chickasaws;  who  killed  all  but 

M.  du  Tiffenet,   Junior,  and    one    Rosalie    whom   they   made 

slaves." 

This  powder  was  doubtless  used  by  the  Chickasaws  in  their 
subsequent  battle  with  D'Artaguette. 

251 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

D'Artaguette's  army  consisted  of  some  thirty  regular 
soldiers,  a  company  of  one  hundred  volunteers,  some  negroes,  and 
about  six  hundred  Illinois,  Iroquois,  Miamis,  and  other  Indians 
who  loved  the  Chickasaws  none  too  well  on  account  of  former 
chastisements. 

This  army  came  down  the  Mississippi  and  landed  at  the 
Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff,  now  the  site  of  Memphis,  where  it 
was  to  be  joined  by  De  Grandpre,  commanding  a  detachment  of 
Arkansas  warriors ;  but  there  was  a  miscarriage,  and  D'Artaguette 
marched  for  the  Chickasaw  country,  leaving  word  for  the 
Arkansas  to  follow,  who  likewise  had  been  often  chastised  by 
the  Chickasaws. 

On  May  9,  1736,  the  army  camped  near  the  Chickasaws, 
and  but  a  few  miles  from  the  present  Pontotoc,  Mississippi, 
that  being  the  place  where  Bienville  was  to  meet  D'Artaguette, 
but  silence  brooded  over  the  country,  and  D'Artaguette  sought  in 
vain  through  his  Indian  scouts  for  any  intelligence  of  his  chief. 

The  young  lieutenant  Vincennes,  and  Father  Senac,  the 
Jesuit  priest,  were  active  in  advising  D'Artaguette  to  scour  the 
country  for  some  word  from  Bienville,  and  finally  a  courier 
brought  to  D'Artaguette  a  letter  stating  that  Bienville  had  been 
delayed  and  could  not  reach  the  Chickasaw  country  before  the 
last  of  April.  It  was  now  May,  and  the  Indian  allies  became 
restive  and  advised  an  immediate  attack  upon  the  Chickasaw 
village  named  in  their  language  Ash-wick-boo-ma,  or  in  English, 
Red  Grass.  They  stated  that  this  village  was  occupied  by  the 
remnant  of  the  Natchez,  and  in  all  probability  they  were  more 
ready  to  match  their  skill  against  the  Natchez  than  against  the 
Chickasaws.  After  overcoming  this  village  they  argued  that  they 
would  capture  sufficient  provisions  to  sustain  the  army  while 
waiting  for  the  army  of  Bienville.  Upon  consultation  it  was 
resolved  to  make  the  attack  and  on  May  20,  leaving  Frontigny 
with  thirty  men  in  charge  of  the  baggage,  D'Artaguette  advanced 
rapidly,  but  the  impetuous  Chickasaws  with  a  few  Englishmen 
rose  from  behind  a  hill  and  fell  upon  the  invaders  with  such 

252 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

force  that  the  Iroquois  and  Illinois  warriors,  no  doubt  remem- 
bering the  terrible  Chickasaw  hoyopatassuah  (war-whoop)  on 
former  like  attacks,  took  to  their  heels  and  stopped  not  until 
they  reached  their  former  homes  in  the  far  North.  The  Arkansans 
stood  their  ground  and  fought  like  true  warriors. 

There  soon  fell,  gallantly  attempting  to  stop  the  invincible 
Chickasaws,  Lieutenant  St.  Ange,  Ensigns  DeCoulanges,  De 
La  Graviere,  and  De  Courtigny,  and  other  officers,  the  French 
being  now  nearly  surrounded,  but  holding  their  ground. 

Soon  Captain  Des  Essarts  and  some  others  fell,  and  the  day 
seeming  to  be  lost,  D'Artaguette  sought  safety  from  further 
slaughter  in  retreat  and  to  save  his  baggage ;  but  it  was  now  too 
late,  for  D'Artaguette  himself  soon  fell,  covered  with  wounds, 
and  was  taken  prisoner  with  Father  Senac  and  other  officers  and 
men,  nineteen  altogether.  At  this  crucial  moment  a  great  storm 
swept  over  the  field  of  battle,  otherwise  the  whole  French  army 
would  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Chickasaws  that  day. 

Much  booty  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Chickasaws,  including 
a  goodly  number  of  horses,  and  what  was  more  important  near 
five  hundred  pounds  of  powder  and  many  bullets  ready  moulded 
for  the  rifle,  for  with  these  and  the  guns  also  taken  they  were  soon 
to  meet  Bienville  and  his  large  army. 

Scarcely  less  valuable  there  also  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Chickasaws  the  private  dispatches  which  Bienville  had  sent  to 
D'Artaguette,  and  which  the  English  could  readily  read,  thereby 
disclosing  all  the  secret  plans  of  the  French. 

A  noble  youth  only  sixteen  years  old,  named  Voisin,  fought 
valiantly  through  this  perilous  battle,  and  took  command  of  the 
retreat,  and  on  the  next  day  of  his  retreat  he  met  Montcherval, 
in  command  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  Indians,who  was  proceeding 
to  the  relief  of  D'Artaguette,  but  hearing  of  his  signal  defeat  and 
capture,  he  retraced  his  steps  with  the  fragment  left  of  the  army, 
marching  to  the  Mississippi  on  their  return  trip  homeward  bound. 

D'Artaguette  and  his  companions  were  spared  for  some 
time,  some  writers  saying  with  the  hope  of  a  ransom,  but  hearing 

253 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

of  the  defeat  of  Bienville,  which  ended  all  hope  of  a  ransom, 
D'Artaguette,  Vincennes,  Father  Senac,  and  others  were  burned 
at  the  stake.  I  am  incredulous  as  to  the  mercenary  motive  thus 
suggested,  for  it  was  entirely  inconsistent  with  Chickasaw  char- 
acter; and,  moreover,  to  say  that  the  prisoners  were  held  until  the 
Chickasaws  learned  of  the  defeat  of  Bienville  involves  a  contra- 
diction, for  D'Artaguette  met  his  defeat  six  days  before  that  of 
Bienville. 

One  prisoner  and  one  only  was  spared  to  carry  to  Bienville  the 
news  of  the  disaster,  the  triumph  of  the  Chickasaws  over  the 
French. 

Let  not  the  fastidious  raise  their  brows  in  holy  horror  at  the 
fate  of  the  French  at  the  stake; for  while  it  was  horrible,  ghastly 
and  savage,  the  French,  who  delighted  to  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians and  declared  that  their  purpose  was  to  carry  the  gospel  of 
peace  and  good  will  to  the  heathen,  set  the  example  of  burning  at 
the  stake  to  the  Chickasaws.  Had  not  Perrier,  without  shame, 
caused  four  Natchez  men  and  two  women  to  be  burned  at  the 
stake  publicly  in  New  Orleans; and  did  he  not  permit  his  allies 
the  Tonicas  to  erect  a  platform  near  the  levee,  and  thereupon  to 
burn  to  death  at  the  stake  a  Natchez  woman  whom  they  had 
found  hiding  in  the  woods? 

And  we  learn  from  Francois  Xavier  Martin  in  his  History  of 
Louisiana  (Ed.  1882,  p.  175)  that  the  unfortunate  Chevalier 
D'Artaguette  had  served  with  distinction  under  Perrier  during 
the  Natchez  war,  and  was  left  by  Perrier  to  rebuild  the  fort  at 
Natchez;  so  that  to  a  certain  extent  D'Artaguette  was  a  party 
to  the  execution  of  the  Natchez  by  burning  at  the  stake. 

"What  a  stigma,"  exclaims  Pickett,  "upon  the  character  of 
the  early  inhabitants  of  the  crescent  city!" 

Nor  did  Perrier  confine  his  burning  at  the  stake  to  the 
Natchez,  for  he  played  no  favorites  in  his  savagery.  After  re- 
ferring to  the  fate  of  D'Artaguette  and  his  companions  at  the 
stake,  Cushman  reminds  us  that  this  was, 

254 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"in  strict  accordance  with  the  example  set  before  them  in 
1 73 1  by  Governor  Perrier,who  had  burned  the  three  Chickasaw 
warriors  sent  by  their  nation  to  seek  the  alliance  of  the  Illinois 
Indians,  but  who  unfortunately  fell  into  his  hands  while  on 
their  mission.  If  the  seeking  of  aid  from  others  merited  death 
at  the  stake,  how  much  more  does  seeking  the  destruction  of  an 
entire  nation  merit  a  similar  fate?  The  Chickasaws  but  ex- 
ecuted the  old  primitive  law,  'An  eye  for  an  eye  and  a  tooth 
for  a  tooth,'  in  perfect  harmony  with  their  white  foes  when  kill- 
ing Indians." 

There  was  a  little  incident  connected  with  the  retreat  of 
D'Artaguette,  which  borders  on  the  romantic,  as  follows:  A 
young  Chickasaw  warrior  named  Alikukhlo  Hosh  (in  English,  the 
Humming  Bird)  in  pursuing  the  retreating  forces  of  D'Artaguette 
came  across  a  little  French  girl  only  five  years  old,  whom  he  at 
once  took  into  his  care;  and  as  time  passed  and  the  child  grew  up 
among  the  free  wild  children  of  the  forest,  in  due  course  she  was 
married  to  the  Humming  Bird,  according  to  all  the  marriage 
rites  of  the  Chickasaws.  This  little  French  flower  was  called  by 
the  Indians  French  Nancy,  raised  a  large  family,  and  lived  to 
the  old  age  of  ninety-one  years,  universally  respected  by  the 
Chickasaws,  who  looked  upon  her  as  a  living  monument  of  their 
victory  over  D'Artaguette. 

Rev.  T.  C.  Stuart,  the  missionary,  said  he  saw  her  in  1821, 
she  then  being  ninety-one  years  old ;  that  she  remembered  some 
of  the  circumstances  connected  with  her  capture,  and  was 
pleased  to  recall  them;  that  she  retained  her  European  features, 
but  otherwise  she  appeared  like  a  true  Chickasaw. 

The'  Battle  of  Ackia— 

As  we  have  seen,  D'Artaguette  met  his  signal  defeat  on  May 
20,  1736.  On  May  23,  or  only  three  days  thereafter,  Bienville 
reached  above  what  was  afterwards  known  as  Cotton  Gin  Port, 
and  there  he  felled  trees  and  built  a  fort  to  protect  his  army  and 
secure  his  baggage  and  war  munitions.  He  had  endured  with 
his  army  a  toilsome  journey  through   the  wilds  of  America, 

255 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

laboring  under  many  disadvantages  and  burdened  by  many  who 
had  fallen  sick  by  the  way. 

As  the  impending  battle  was  designed  by  the  French  to  be 
decisive,  and  forever  settle  whether  the  French  or  English 
should  dominate  North  America,  the  issue  was  of  world-wide 
importance,  and  I  have  concluded  to  insert  immediately  pre- 
ceding this  subtitle  a  cut  showing  the  fort  erected  by  Bienville 
just  above  the  now  old  abandoned  town  of  Cotton  Gin  Port,  in 
what  is  now  Monroe  County,  Mississippi,  and  about  two  miles 
southeast  of  Armory,  which  absorbed  the  old  town  in  1887, 
upon  the  building  of  the  Kansas  City,  Memphis,  and  Birmingham 
Railroad. 

We  learn  from  George  J.  Leftwich  (Vol.  7,  p.  263)  that  the 
Indian  name  for  Cotton  Gin  Port  was  Tollama-Toxa,  signifying 
"where  he  first  strung  the  bow,"  the  name  having  reference  to 
Bienville's  disastrous  expedition  against  the  Chickasaws  in 
1736. 

Soon  after  Eli  Whitney  invented  the  cotton  gin  in  1794,  the 
United  States  discreetly  caused  to  be  erected,  it  is  said  by  the 
advice  of  Washington,  a  cotton  gin  one  mile  west  of  the  ferry  in 
order  to  encourage  the  Chickasaws  to  raise  cotton,  which  was  a 
shrewd  stroke  of  policy  to  gain  their  good  will ;  and  afterwards  the 
old  Indian  town  was  called  Cotton  Gin  Port  until  it  was  put  out 
of  business  by  the  building  of  the  railroad  in  1887  as  stated  above. 
Near  the  boat  landing  and  this  cotton  gin  there  stood  an  enor- 
mous oak  tree,  called  'The  Council  Tree,"  where  the  Indians  in 
ancient  and  prehistoric  times  held  their  councils;  and  here,  it  is 
said,  Tecumseh  met  the  Chickasaw  warriors  in  an  endeavor  to 
induce  them  to  enter  the  Creek  war  against  the  Americans,  but 
they  disdainfully  refused  to  hear  him,  when  he  proceeded  south 
to  harangue  the  ever  fickle  Choctaws.  This  cut  of  the  fort  and 
its  surroundings  I  have  taken  from  7  Publications  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Society  papers,  page  262,  accompanying  an  article  by 
George  J.  Leftwich,  Cotton  Gin  Port  and  Gaines1  Trace,  which  I 
read  with  both  profit  and  pleasure. 

256 


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-— 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

As  will  be  seen  by  the  inscription  thereon,  the  plat  was 
drawn  by  George  Gaines  Tindall,  September  2,  1903,  after  a 
survey,  and  afterwards  redrawn  at  my  request  on  March  12th, 
1 92 1,  by  J.  Paul  Gaines,  a  descendant  of  the  same  family  from 
which  sprang  General  Edmond  Pendleton  Gaines  and  Colonel 
George  Strother  Gaines,  both  of  whom  bore  a  conspicuous  part 
in  the  settlement  of  the  Southwest,  and  who  were  both  descend- 
ants of  Edmond  Pendleton  of  Revolutionary  fame.  George 
Strother  Tyndall  was  named  for  Colonel  George  Strother  Gaines, 
and  still  survives,  never  having  married,  living  in  Monroe 
County,  Mississippi,  enjoying  life  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his 
age. 

The  road  leading  to  the  east  and  marked  Cotton  Gin  and 
Okolona  Road  is  a  part  of  what  is  designated  Gaines'  Trace  on 
Lusher's  map,  so  named  for  Col.  George  S.  Gaines,  and  at  one 
time  formed  the  southeastern  boundary  of  the  Chickasaw 
country. 

This  Bienville  fort  was  seen  by  Captain  Bernard  Romans  in 
1 77 1,  when  he  visited  the  Chickasaws  that   year. 

At  the  time  Leftwich  wrote  in  1903,  it  had  been  much  de- 
stroyed and  worn  down  by  the  combined  forces  of  man  and  the 
elements.  The  dark  lines  showed  the  embarkment  as  far  as  it 
could  then  be  traced,  the  remainder  being  doubtless  destroyed 
by  cultivation  and  erosion.  The  mound  was  about  fifty  yards 
square,  elevated  some  eight  feet  above  the  surrounding  plain,  upon 
which  there  was  a  dwelling  house.  The  round  mound  shown  on 
the  plat  was  composed  largely  of  mussel  shells,  what  is  usually 
called  kitchen-midden,  these  not  being  uncommon  along  Southern 
rivers,  showing  that  anciently  the  mussel  was  an  important 
article  of  food  with  the  Indians. 

The  place  to  which  the  arrow  points  on  the  river  and  which 
is  designated  thus,  "Cannon  Hole  470  yards  from  Mound,"  may 
be  thus  explained :  About  one  hundred  years  ago  some  cannon 
were  discovered  in  the  river  at  that  place,  and  it  was  first  claimed 
that  they  were  left  by  the  De  Soto  expedition ;  but  the  suggestion 

257 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

leading  to  inquiries  it  was  pointed  out  that  such  cannon  as  De 
Soto  had  were  left  in  Alabama,  and  the  better  opinion  now  is 
that,  although  the  De  Soto  expedition  was  armed  with  the 
arquebuse,  the  ancient  predecessor  of  the  modern  high-powered 
rifle,  still  even  his  ammunition  for  these  gave  out  before  he 
reached  the  Tombigbee.  It  was  next  claimed  that  these  cannon 
were  left  there  by  Bienville;  but  it  was  shown  that  he  had  no 
cannon  with  him  at  the  fort  in  1736;  and  the  final,  and  in  all 
probability  the  correct,  conclusion  is  that  the  cannon  were  left 
there  by  Vaudreuil  upon  his  defeat  by  the  Chickasaws  in  1752, 
he  having  also  landed  at  this  old  fort. 

The  water  craft  of  Bienville  are  supposed    to    have  been 
anchored  near  the  "Cannon  Hole,"  and  guarded  by  the  fort. 


The  Chickasaw  villages  lay  to  the  northeast,  less  than 
thirty  miles  distant.  Bienville  had  in  vain  through  his  scouts 
sought  to  get  in  touch  with  D'Artaguette,  and,  of  course,  knew 
nothing  of  his  previous  signal  defeat  and  capture.  If  Bienville 
had  scouts  and  spies  abroad  eager  for  any  sign  or  intelligence 
useful  to  his  army,  it  must  be  remembered  that  there  were  no 
hunters  or  trackers  equal  to  the  Chickasaws,  who  could  read  a 
story  from  even  one  bent  blade  of  grass  or  an  upturned  leaf;  and 
they  well  knew  how  to  cover  up  their  tracks,  so  that  though  the 
battle  with  D'Artaguette  had  just  been  fought,  the  enemy 
found  no  sign  thereof,  nor  obtained  any  intelligence  of  his  situa- 
tion. 

Leaving  some  twenty  to  thirty  men  in  charge  of  the  stockade, 
to  guard  the  provisions,  the  munitions,  the  water  craft,  and  the 
sick,  Bienville  commenced  his  march  toward  the  Chickasaw 
towns,  taking  with  him  twelve  days'  rations.  It  is  significant 
that  he  found  it  difficult  to  hire  sufficient  number  of  the  renegade 
Choctaws  to  carry  the  necessary  powder  and  balls.  Evidently 
they  feared  the  Chickasaws.  The  first  part  of  the  march  was 
much  broken,  and  the  streams  were  at  flood  tide  from  recent 

258 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

rains,  making  the  march  toilsome  through  the  timber,  but  the 
Chickasaw  villages  lay  in  the  shape  of  a  triangle  upon  the  prairies. 
I  can  not  refrain  here  from  copying  the  picture  drawn  by  Pickett 
of  the  beautiful  home  of  the  Chickasaws,  soon  to  run  red  with 
human  blood. 

"Soon,  however,  the  French  were  relieved  by  the  appearance 
of  the  most  beautiful  country  in  the  world.  The  prairies  were 
stretched  out  wide  before  them,  covered  with  green  grass,  flowers, 
and  strawberries,  while  forests  of  magnificent  trees  were  to  be 
seen  in  the  distance.  A  breeze  gently  played  over  the  surface  of 
the  lovely  plains,  and  a  May  day's  sun  warmed  all  nature  into 
life.  The  sleek  cattle  were  everywhere  grazing  upon  these  sweet 
meadows  of  nature.  The  nimble  deer  bounded  along,  and  droves 
of  wild  horses,  of  every  variety  of  color,  with  lofty  tails  and 
spreading  manes,  made  the  earth  resound  with  their  rapid  tread. 
Alas!  alas!  to  think  that  the  inhabitants,  whom  the  Great  Spirit 
had  placed  in  a  country  so  lovely  and  so  enchanting,  were  soon 
to  be  assailed  by  an  army  of  foreigners,  assisted  by  their  own 
neighbors." 

Bienville  finally  pitched  his  camp  some  six  miles  from  the 
Indian  houses  which  could  be  seen  across  the  prairie,  and  here 
again  he  endeavored  to  hear  something  from  D'Artaguette, 
failing  in  which  his  first  plan  was  to  encircle  the  Chickasaws  and 
commence  his  attack  on  the  town  of  the  Natchez,  as  D'Artaguette 
had  done  only  a  few  days  previously;  but  the  Choctaws  had 
become  very  impatient  and  insisted  on  attacking  an  advanced 
Chickasaw  village,  which,  they  said,  could  be  easily  taken  and 
which  contained  a  large  amount  of  provisions.  Here  we  note 
that  the  capture  of  provisions  was  the  controlling  feature  in  the 
selection  by  the  Choctaws  of  a  point  for  attack,  precisely  as  it  had 
been  with  the  Illinois  and  other  Indians  under  D'Artaguette. 
However,  the  ever  vigilant  Chickasaws  were  prepared  for  any 
emergency  and  had  well  fortified  themselves  by  forts  protected 
with  heavy  palisades  covered  with  heavy  timbers,  this  topped 
off  with  clay  so  as  to  prevent  fires  as  far  as  possible. 

259 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  addition  there  were  fortified  houses,  so  arranged  as  to 
admit  of  cross  firing  to  the  best  advantage.  Behind  the  pali- 
sades the  earth  had  been  excavated,  and  loop  holes  cut  through 
the  palisades,  so  the  defenders  could  shoot  through  the  port- 
holes with  a  minimum  exposure  of  their  bodies. 

Bienville,  after  considerable  consideration,  finally  yielded  to 
the  Chevalier  Noyan  and  other  officers,  precisely  as  D'Artaguette 
had  done,  and  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  May  26, 
1736,  he  ordered  the  attack,  placing  Noyan  at  the  head  of  a  col- 
umn composed  of  fifteen  regular  soldiers  drawn  from  the  eight 
French  companies,  a  company  of  grenadiers,  forty-five  volun- 
teers and  sixty-five  Swiss  mercenaries. 

In  order  to  protect  the  French  soldiers  a  kind  of  movable 
breastworks  had  been  constructed,  and  these  were  called  man- 
telettes;  and  as  the  lives  of  the  negroes  seemed  not  to  have  been 
regarded  of  much  value,  the  negroes'  part  in  the  battle  was  to 
carry  these  mantalettes  in  front  of  the  white  soldiers,  thus 
converting  them  with  their  mantalettes  into  shields  of  protection. 
Evidently  not  only  Bienville  but  the  negroes  as  well  were  ex- 
pecting the  Chickasaws  to  use  only  bows  and  arrows,  though  the 
British  flag  waved  proudly  over  the  fortifications,  and  a  few 
English  traders  were  on  the  inside  of  the  fortress,  who,  though 
given  leave  by  the  French  to  depart,  gallantly  declined  the  offer, 
casting  their  lot  with  the  Chickasaws  who  had  been  ever  faithful 
to  them. 

When  the  French  came  within  gunfire  of  the  village  of 
Ackia,  the  Chickasaws  poured  out  a  murderous  fire,  not  of 
arrows,  but  of  powder  and  lead  which  they  had  captured  a  few 
days  before  from  D'Artaguette.  At  the  first  fire  one  negro  was 
killed  and  another  was  wounded  and  seeing  that  their  mantalettes 
were  no  protection  against  the  unexpected  and  murderous  fire, 
they  threw  down  the  mantalettes  and  precipitately  fled.  The 
painted  and  plumed  Choctaws  thus  having  their  visions  of 
provisions  rudely  dispelled,  ceased  in  their  war-whoops,  and 
likewise  took  to  their  heels,  never  joining  in  the  battle. 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Not  so  with  the  French,  who,  under  the  leadership  of  Cheva- 
lier Noyan,  fought  their  way  into  the  village,  carrying  three 
fortified  cabins  and  setting  fire  to  others,  but  they  had  not  so 
much  as  reached  the  main  fort  which  lay  at  some  distance 
further  onward. 

Already  many  soldiers  had  fallen  to  the  right  and  to  the  left, 
but  when  the  Chevalier  de  Contre  Coeur  fell,  consternation 
spread  among  the  French. 

When  the  Chevalier  De  Noyan  endeavored  to  rally  hismen,  he 
was  startled  to  find  that  only  the  officers  and  a  few  of  the  volun- 
teers were  ready  to  obey  orders,  the  others  having  sought  safety 
in  flight  behiruti  the  cabins  first  taken.  Captain  de  Lusser  had 
fallen  also,  and,  being  panicstricken,  no  exhortations,  threats,  or 
promises  of  reward  could  induce  them  to  retrieve  their  cowardly 
conduct.  The  officers,  burning  with  indignation,  rushed  forward 
at  the  head  of  the  few  soldiers,  but  almost  immediately  Noyan, 
Lieutenant  Grondel  of  the  Swiss,  Captain  D'Hauterieve  of  the 
grenadiers,  Montbrun,  DeVelles,  and  other  officers  and  men 
received  severe  wounds,  for  the  Chickasaw  balls  were  flying  in 
every  direction.  De  Noyan,  though  severely  wounded,  dis- 
patched his  aid,  De  Juzan,  to  bring  up  the  soldiers  hiding  be- 
hind the  cabins,  but  he  fell  almost  at  once,  and  instantly  a  party 
of  Chickasaws  rushed  up  to  scalp  the  Swiss  Grondel,  when  a 
sergeant  and  four  soldiers  rushed  to  the  rescue,  when  a  fire  from 
the  fort  killed  all  four.  Then  an  act  of  heroism  worthy  of  note 
took  place.  A  private  named  Regnisse,  seeing  the  desperate 
condition  of  Grondel,  who  was  lying  senseless  among  the  dead 
men  who  gave  their  lives  to  save  his,  rushed  forward  and  bore 
the  unconscious  body  of  Grondel  to  the  ranks  of  his  friends, 
without  himself  receiving  a  scratch  from  the  whistling  bullets 
of  the  Chickasaws,  though  the  almost  lifeless  body  of  Grondel 
received  another  wound. 

When  afterwards  Bienville  offered  to  promote  Regnisse,  the 
noble  fellow  declined,  saying  that,  as  he  could  neither  read  or 
write,  he  was  not  competent  to  become  an  officer.     It  is  also 

261 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

worthy  to  mention  that  Grondel  was  one  of  the  bravest  of  the 
brave,  and  not  only  recovered  but  afterwards  was  highly  pro- 
moted. 

I  read  with  amused  interest  the  fleeing  of  the  negroes  at 
the  first  outset,  when  two  of  them  were  shot  down,  as  it  seemed 
such  was  characteristic  of  that  volatile  race;  but  justice  to  them 
requires  that  we  should  remember  that  they  were  not  armed,  and 
that  they  were  used  to  a  great  extent  as  mere  human  shields. 

Simon,  their  black  leader,  being  rallied  by  the  whites  upon 
the  conduct  of  his  company,  in  the  evening  immediately  after 
the  combat,  was  stung  by  their  taunts.  At  that  very  moment 
a  drove  of  horses  came  down  to  slake  their  thirst  not  far  from 
some  fortified  houses  of  the  Chickasaws.  "I  will  show  you," 
said  Simon,  "that  a  negro  is  as  brave  as  any  one" ;  and  at  once  he 
ran  around  the  horses  next  to  the  Chickasaws,  who  were  shooting 
at  him,  threw  a  rope  around  a  beautiful  white  mare,  tied  it  to 
her  nose,  and  vaulting  upon  her  back,  rode  back  to  the  French 
camp,  unscratched,  amid  the  plaudits  of  the  soldiers,  thereby 
earning  for  himself  the  soubriquet  of  "Simon,  the  brave." 


It  is  also  worthy  of  notice  that  while  the  French  were  quite 
careful  to  note  all  the  deeds  of  heroism  performed  by  the  French, 
the  Swiss,  and  even  Simon  the  Black  yet  no  act  of  bravery  or 
daring,  nay  not  even  the  name  of  a  single  Chickasaw  warrior  is 
recorded  in  any  of  the  accounts  given  of  who  participated  in  the 
signal  defeat  of  D'Artaguette,  at  the  battle  of  Ackia,  or  in  the 
defeat  of  Vaudreuil. 

That  there  were  heroes  and  acts  of  heroism  to  match,  and  in 
all  probability  to  excel,  those  of  the  French  which  were  recorded, 
we  know,  for  otherwise  the  invincible  Chickasaws  would  not 
have  triumphed  over  their  foes. 

This  may  be  taken  as  one  instance  which  shows  that  the 
Chickasaws  received  scant  credit  for  their  meritorious  acts  at  the 
hands  of  the  French. 

262 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  Chevalier  De  Noyan,  though  severely  wounded,  dis- 
patched a  courier  to  Bienville  with  the  news  of  his  perilous 
situation,  and  asked  for  a  detachment  of  soldiers  to  relieve  him 
as  much  as  possible  by  removing  the  dead  and  wounded  and 
aiding  the  living  to  effect  a  retreat.  Even  then  a  band  of  Chick- 
asaws  was  hovering  on  the  flank,  and  when  Bienville  sent  Beau- 
champ  with  a  detachment  of  troops  to  the  rescue  of  Noyan,  many 
of  them  fell  under  the  fire  of  the  Chickasaws;  but  Beauchamp 
succeeded  in  rescuing  the  living  and  many  of  the  dead. 

While  the  battle  of  Ackia  lasted  only  three  hours,  it  added 
new  laurels  to  the  achievements  of  the  Chickasaws,  and  at  the 
same  time  brought  sorrow  and  disgrace  to  Bienville. 

A  Perfect  Chickasaw  Day- 
According  to  the  chroniclers  of  old  the  day  of  the  battle  of 
Ackia  was  what  we  would  call  a  perfect  Mississippi  day.  The 
noise  and  tumult  of  the  bloody  conflict  were  hushed  as  twilight 
approached;  the  cool  breezes  sweeping  over  the  broad  prairies 
were  laden  with  the  perfumes  of  the  wild  flowers  which  carpeted 
the  earth  with  beauty,  and  afforded  sustenance  for  the  half-wild 
horses  and  kine  which  now  went  down  to  the  rushing  waters  to 
slake  their  thirst.  The  mocking  bird  (in  the  Chickasaw  language, 
hushi  buebaha),  the  king  of  the  forest,  on  topmost  branch  of  the 
topmost  tree,  was  pouring  forth  the  melodies  of  nature. 

And  now  the  sun  was  setting  in  a  blaze  of  glory  behind  the 
distant  trees  beyond  the  prairie.  This  filled  the  souls  of  the 
Chickasaws  with  a  glow  of  fervent  religious  enthusiasm;  for  it 
will  be  recalled  that  in  a  previous  chapter  (VIII)  in  answer  to 
the  great  John  Wesley  shortly  after  this  battle,  viz:  on  July  20, 
1736,  Paustoobee,  the  young  Chickasaw  chief,  said:  "We  be- 
lieve there  are  four  beloved  things  above;  the  clouds,  the  sun, 
the  clear  sky,  and  He  that  lives  in  the  clear  sky." 

Was  not  here  now  plainly  visible  to  the  Chickasaws  the 
three  beloved  things  which  are  visible,  while  the  invisible  they  as 
firmly  believed  was  looking  down  upon  them  from  the  blue  sky, 

263 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

shedding  the  glorious  radiance  which  made  the  heavens  smile 
and  filled  their  souls  with  heavenly  delight? 

Were  they  not  the  free,  wild  children  of  Nature? 


By  slow  and  painful  marches  Bienville  reached  his  water 
craft  and  finally  Mobile,  and  then  New  Orleans,  but  with  only 
a  remnant  of  those  who  went  forth  to  extirpate  the  Chickasaw 
nation.  On  his  way  to  Mobile  he  learned  of  the  fate  of  D'Arta- 
guette.  No  one  realized  more  than  Bienville  the  disastrous 
results  of  the  Chickasaw  campaign,  but  his  ill  will  was  insatiable, 
and  he  nursed  his  wrath  for  years  to  keep  it  warm. 


The  incidents  connected  with  this  retreat  and  its  immediate 
effect  upon  the  French  settlements  are  both  important  and 
interesting,  but  they  lay  far  beyond  the  scope  of  this  sketch. 

Bienville's  Second  War  Upon  the  Chickasaws— 

There  have  been  few  plans  of  colonization  on  a  vaster  scale 
than  those  embraced  in  the  settlement  of  Louisiana,  embracing 
all  of  North  America  west  of  the  Alleghenies  and  taking  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the  warm  Gulf  of 
Mexico  to  the  frozen  ocean  of  the  arctic  regions  in  the  far  North. 
While  our  judgment  upon  the  policies  pursued  in  the  execution 
of  these  vast  schemes  may  greatly  differ  from  those  of  the 
French,  yet  we  can  not  withhold  our  admiration  for  the  boldness 
of  their  plans,  their  gay  contempt  of  danger,  their  patience,  their 
suffering  in  their  endeavors  to  conquer  and  people  the  new 
world  for  the  glory  of  France,  for  all  of  their  efforts  were  cast  in 
heroic  moulds. 

And  we  must  remember  also  that  what  Bienville  and  his 
coadjutors  did  was  done  for  the  glory  of  France,  and  that  Bien- 
ville is  remembered  and  revered  as  the  real  founder  and  father 
of  New  Orleans  and  Mobile,  where  his  labors  are  still  cherished 
as  a  true  patriot. 

264 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Our  point  of  view  is  necessarily  somewhat  different;  and  as 
already  indicated,  Bienville,  before  reaching  his  home  on  his 
retreat  from  the  disaster  of  the  battle  of  Ackia,  had  formulated 
plans  for  a  second  expedition  against  the  Chickasaws  for  the 
purpose  of  their  extermination ;  for  this  small  nation  was  the  one 
and  only  obstacle  which  stood  between  the  French  and  their  bold 
plans  to  capture  the  North  American  continent  for  the  French 
people. 

To  avoid  the  error  of  his  previous  plans,  which  led  to  the 
failure  of  the  meeting  of  the  army  from  the  North  with  that  of  the 
army  from  the  South  under  his  own  command,  which  he  regarded 
as  the  fatal  defect  in  his  plans,  he  now  planned  to  have  the  two 
armies  meet  at  Fort  St.  Francis,  in  the  present  state  of  Arkansas, 
and  from  thence  to  proceed  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  where 
Memphis  now  is,  and  there  to  build  a  fort,  and  using  this  as  a 
base  to  invade  the  country  of  the  Chickasaws  and  effectuate  their 
extermination. 

The  army  was  at  first  employed  in  building  a  fort  on  the 
Chickasaw  Bluffs,  which  was  completed  on  August  15,  1739,  and 
that  being  the  day  on  which  the  Catholic  Church  celebrates  the 
festival  of  the  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,  it  was  named  Fort 
Assumption.    Martin  then  says: 

"Labuissoniere,  who  had  succeeded  the  unfortunate  Cheva- 
lier D'Artaguette  in  the  command  of  Fort  Chartres,  arrived  a 
few  days  after  with  his  garrison,  a  part  of  the  militia  of  the 
Illinois,  and  about  two  hundred  Indians.  He  was  followed  the 
next  week  by  Celeron  and  St.  Laurent,  his  lieutenants,  who 
commanded  a  company  of  cadets  from  Quebec  and  Montreal, 
and  a  number  of  Canadian  Indians. 

"The  force  from  New  Orleans  consisted  of  the  Louisiana 
regulars  and  militia,  the  companies  of  marines,  lately  landed 
from  France,  and  upwards  of  sixteen  hundred  Indians,  so  that 
Bienville  found  himself  at  the  head  of  upwards  of  twelve  hundred 
white  and  double  that  number  of  Indian  and  black  troops. 

"This  comparatively  very  large  army  unaccountably  spent 
six  months  in  making  preparations  for  its  march." 

265 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

I  can  conjecture  no  reason  for  this  long  and  unexplained 
delay  of  attack  on  the  part  of  Bienville,  except  the  dread  he  must 
have  entertained  for  the  unconquerable  Chickasaws.  Here  we 
find  him  at  the  head  of  3,600  troops,  one-third  of  them  white, 
hardy  pioneers,  many  of  them  regular  soldiers,  besides  his 
Indian  allies;  and  opposed  to  them  the  small  Chickasaw  nation 
which,  according  to  the  greatest  estimate  of  the  French,  could 
not  muster  over  five  hundred  warriors;  or,  comparatively  speak- 
ing, the  French  outnumbered  the  Chickasaws  over  seven  to  one. 

Moreover,  the  French  had  the  best  guns  and  ammunition, 
including  cannon,  which  the  French  government  with  all  its 
resources  could  supply,  while  the  Chickasaws  had  no  cannon 
and  necessarily  inferior  small  arms  and  other  munitions.  This 
was  the  largest  army  of  its  kind  which  had  ever  assembled  on 
the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  prior  to  that  time.  While  Bienville  knew 
full  well  the  small  number  of  the  Chickasaws  whom  he  was  to 
meet  in  mortal  combat,  he  also  knew  that  each  Chickasaw  was 
every  inch  a  warrior,  that  they  fought  like  infuriated  lions, 
neither  asking  or  expecting  any  mercy;  and,  moreover,  that  when 
the  stake  was  great,  and  the  issue  supreme,  the  Chickasaw 
women  joined  in  the  combat,  not  only  encouraging  the  men  by 
their  presence  and  songs,  but  also  fighting  like  tigresses. 

While  the  French  were  lying  idle  in  their  fort,  disease  ap- 
peared, and  many  of  the  men  sickened  and  died;  provisions  ran 
so  short  that  they  were  forced  to  kill  horses  for  food,  and  gaunt 
famine  joined  with  disease  as  the  beginning  of  the  New  Year 
claimed  more  victims,  so  that  not  many  over  one  hundred  white 
soldiers,  regulars,  and  volunteers  were  fit  for  service. 

On  March  15,  1840,  or  exactly  seven  months  after  the  com- 
pletion of  the  fort,  Bienville  ordered  Celeron  with  something  over 
one  hundred  white  troops  in  the  center  and  with  all  of  his  numerous 
red  and  black  allies  on  the  wings,  to  march  for  the  Chickasaw 
country,  and  that  in  case  they  asked  for  peace  to  grant  it. 

When  this  numerous  army  approached  the  first  village,  the 
Chickasaws  came  out  and  asked  for  peace,  saying  they  had  been 

266 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

instigated  to  war  by  the  English  from  Carolina,  and  that  they 
had  recently  taken  two  Englishmen  prisoners  and  were  ready  to 
surrender  them  in  token  of  their  good  faith;  they  asked  that 
Celeron  depute  one  of  his  officers  to  enter  the  village  with  them 
to  see  the  two  prisoners,  and  St.  Laurent  was  sent  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

As  soon  as  he  entered  the  village,  the  Indian  women  derided 
him  and  demanded  of  the  men  the  head  of  St.  Laurent,  and  he 
was  seized  and  confined  in  a  cabin  while  his  fate  was  being 
debated,  the  result  being  that  the  counsels  of  the  more  moderate 
prevailed,  and  St.  Laurent  kept  his  head  on  his  shoulders,  upon 
his  promise,  however,  in  the  name  of  Celeron  to  grant  peace  to 
the  Chickasaws.  Thereupon  several  of  the  Chickasaws  returned 
with  Celeron  to  Fort  Assumption,  where  the  pipe  of  peace  was 
smoked  and  passed  around  in  due  Indian  form,  as  a  token  that 
Bienville  confirmed  the  peace  offered  by  Celeron,  which  was  but 
in  compliance  to  his  previous  orders.  It  is  also  added  that 
the  Chickasaws  surrendered  the  two  Englishmen,  but  their 
names  are  not  given,  nor  their  fate  recorded,  which,  in 
my  judgment  at  least,  raises  a  question  as  to  this  part  of  the 
story. 

In  closing  his  account  of  the  second  war  against  the  Chicka- 
saws, Martin  (p.  178)  says: 

"The  Fort  of  the  Assumption  was  raised,  and  Labuisson- 
niere  and  Celeron  ascended  the  river  with  those  of  their  men 
whom  disease  and  famine  had  spared.  The  force  from  New  Or- 
leans stopped  at  the  river  St.  Francis  to  dismantle  the  fort,  and 
then  floated  down  to  the  city. 

"Thus  ended  the  Chickasaw  war,  undertaken  by  Bienville 
to  compel  these  Indians  to  surrender  the  Natchez,  who  had  found 
an  asylum  among  the  former.  Peace  was  made  on  the  promise 
of  the  Indians  of  one  of  the  villages  of  the  enemy,  to  be  in  future 
the  devoted  friends  of  the  French — purchased  at  the  price  of 
many  valuable  lives,  at  a  vast  expense  besides,  and  with  great 
distress  and  toil.  The  French  chief  acquired  no  military  glory 
from  the  war." 

267 


The  Chickasaiu  Nation 

In  stating  the  facts  with  respect  to  this  second  war  of  Bien* 
ville  against  the  Chickasaws,  I  have  followed  closely  the  history 
of  Francois  Xavier  Martin,  first  published  in  1827.  This  remark- 
able man  was  born  in  Marseilles,  France,  March  17,  1762,  and 
died  in  New  Orleans,  December  10,  1846,  in  the  eighty-fifth 
year  of  his  age,  having  presided  as  Judge  and  Chief  Justice  in 
Louisiana  for  thirty-six  years,  the  last  fifteen  years  of  which 
he  was  entirely  blind,  but  discharged  every  duty  with  great 
credit  and  ability.  Blessed  with  an  iron  constitution  and  great 
mental  ability,  coupled  with  unusual  perseverance  and  an  un- 
tiring will  he  was  the  author  of  over  twenty  books.  He  never 
married,  was  miserly  and  niggardly,  and  died  the  owner  of  an 
estate  of  $400,000,  which  he  willed  to  his  brother  in  an  un- 
witnessed holographic  will,  written  long  after  he  was  totally 
blind,  which  gave  rise  to  an  acrimonious  litigation  in  which  the 
judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  where  he  so  long  presided,  sustained 
the  validity  of  his  will. 

As  was  natural,  he  sympathized  with  his  compatriots,  the 
French,  but  was  an  unusually  impartial  historian. 


The  pride  of  Bienville  was  wounded  and  his  spirits  humbled 
by  the  results  of  the  wars  with  the  Chickasaws,  and  on  March  26, 
1742,  he  sent  his  letter  of  resignation  to  the  French  minister, 
couched  in  part  in  these  words : 

"If  success  had  always  corresponded  with  my  application 
to  the  affairs  of  the  government  and  administration  of  the 
colony,  and  with  my  zeal  for  the  service  of  the  king,  I  would 
have  rejoiced  in  devoting  the  rest  of  my  days  to  such  objects; 
but,  through  a  sort  of  fatality,  which,  for  some  time  past,  has 
obstinately  thwarted  my  best  concerted  plans,  I  have  frequently 
lost  the  fruit  of  my  labors,  and,  perhaps  some  ground  in  your 
excellency's  confidence;  therefore  have  I  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  is  no  longer  necessary  for  me  to  struggle  against  my 
adverse  fortune.  I  hope  that  better  luck  may  attend  my  successor. 
During  the  remainder  of  my  stay  here,  I  will  give  all  my  attention 

268 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

to  smooth  the  difficulties  attached  to  the  office  which  I  shall 
deliver  up  to  him;  and  it  is  to  me  a  subject  of  self  gratulation 
that  I  shall  transmit  to  him  the  government  of  the  colony,  when 
its  affairs  are  in  a  better  condition  than  they  have  ever  been." 

While  we  rejoice  at  the  triumph  of  the  Chickasaws,  still  no 
one  can  read  this  letter  of  Bienville,  who  had  spent  his  life  in  the 
wilderness  of  the  South  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  win  it  for  France, 
without  cherishing  for  his  memory  profound  respect  and  ad- 
miration for  his  countless  heroic  deeds  in  contending  with  the 
savages  of  the  wilderness. 

It  may  here  be  noted  that  when  he  left  Louisiana  for  France, 
he  was  sixty-five  years  old,  and  lived  to  the  extreme  age  of  near 
ninety  years,  but  never  for  one  moment  lost  interest  in  Louisiana, 
and  when  the  king  of  France  on  November  3,  1762,  by  what  is 
called  the  secret  treaty,  during  the  last  days  of  Bienville,  ceded 
Louisiana  to  Spain,  he  begged  the  king  in  vain  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  not  to  place  the  subjects  of  France  under  the  tyrannical 
Spanish . 

Vaudreuil  Makes  War  on  the  Chickasaws— 

On  May  10,  1743,  the  Marquis  De  Vaudreuil  succeeded 
Bienville;  and  as  might  have  been  expected,  the  resentments 
which  grew  out  of  the  Choctaws  having  twice  joined  the  French 
in  an  effort  to  exterminate  the  Chickasaws  led  to  almost  incessant 
conflicts  between  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  but  it  is  not 
deemed  necessary  to  enter  into  the  details  of  these  petty  wars. 

It  is  important  to  note,  however,  that  the  Chickasaws  not 
only  once  but  twice  sued  for  peace  with  Vaudreuil,  sending  to 
him  soon  after  his  arrival  four  of  their  chiefs,  but  his  answer  was 
that  he  would  not  treat  with  them  until  they  had  driven  all  the 
English  from  their  country,  and  not  even  then  until  they  had 
made  peace  with  and  came  in  concert  with  the  Choctaws,  with 
whom  they  were  then  at  war. 

These  terms  the  Chickasaws  could  not  comply  with,  and 
about  this  time  the  Choctaws  became  torn  asunder  by  two 

269 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

parties  in  the  nation,  one  party  favoring  the  Spaniards,  while 
the  other  favored  the  English.  In  this  feud  the  Spanish  party 
caused  the  great  Choctaw  chief  Red  Shoes  to  be  assassinated. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  both  the  English  and  the  Spaniards 
fanned  the  fire  of  discord  among  both  the  Chickasaws  and  Choc- 
taws  for  their  own  benefit  and  to  the  detriment  of  the  Indians. 
Again  the  Chickasaws  sued  for  peace,  saying  now  that  they 
would  make  peace  with  the  Choctaws;  again  Vaudreuil  was 
obdurate,  writing  to  his  government  that 

"by  the  failure  of  the  expeditions  undertaken  against  them 
between  the  years  1735  and  1740,  the  Indians  have  arrived  at 
the  conclusion  that  we  cannot  conquer  or  destroy  them;  and 
until  we  erase  from  their  minds  the  impression  of  our  inability 
to  subdue  them,  by  giving  full  retaliation  for  our  unsuccessful 
operations  against  them,  the  honor  of  our  arms  will  remain 
tarnished." 

He  consumed  some  two  years  in  making  preparations  to 
fall  upon  and  destroy  the  Chickasaws,  who  were  suing  for  peace, 
and  what  for?  Because  the  honor  of  the  French  had  been 
"tarnished"  by  their  defeat  when  they  invaded  the  land  of  the 
Chickasaws  and  sought  their  destruction,  but  who  successfully 
defended  their  ancient  home. 

It  would  serve  no  good  purpose  to  go  into  details,  and 
suffice  it  to  say  that  Vaudreuil  gathered  seven  hundred  white 
soldiers,  some  sixty-five  of  whom  were  Swiss  mercenaries,  to- 
gether with  a  large  force  of  Indians,  and  in  1752  he  invaded  the 
land  of  the  Chickasaws,  going  up  the  Tombigbee  and  landing  at 
Cotton  Gin  Port,  and  from  thence  marched  overland  to  the 
Chickasaw  towns,  where  he  met  defeat  in  practically  the  same 
manner  as  did  Bienville  sixteen  years  before,  although  he  did 
burn  some  of  their  houses  and  laid  waste  some  of  their  fields. 
What  an  inglorious  campaign  was  this! 

Many  years  afterwards  some  cannon  were  found  in  the 
Tombigbee  River  at  or  near  Cotton  Gin  Port,  and  it  was  re- 

270 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ported  that  they  were  left  there  by  De  Soto  in  1541 ;  but  this  is 
doubtless  incorrect,  the  probability  being  that  they  were  left 
there  by  Vaudreuil  on  account  of  low  water,  it  being  supposed 
that  Bienville  did  not  undertake  to  transport  the  cannon  which 
he  had  procured  in  1736. 

In  a  note  to  Pickett  (p.  303)  it  is  said  that  De  Soto  brought 
with  him  but  one  piece  of  artillery,  which  he  left  in  Florida.  The 
De  Soto  narratives  are  singularly  silent  as  to  the  artillery. 

The  Chickasaws'  Prowess  on  the  Mississippi- 
Reference  has  previously  been  made  to  the  fact  that  the 
Chickasaws,  though  living  far  inland,  were  almost  amphibious 
and  ruled  on  the  waves  of  the  Mississippi  and  Tennessee,  and 
this  was  one  of  the  secrets  of  the  immense  prowess  of  this  small 
nation.  As  a  continuation  in  chronological  order  of  their  story 
and  showing  in  what  manner  they  ruled  upon  the  broad  bosom 
of  the  Father  of  Waters,  I  can  do  no  better  than  to  copy  from  a 
letter  written  by  Jean  Bernard  Bossu,  a  captain  in  the  French 
army,  written  when  traveling  through  this  country  at  the  fort 
of  Tombecbe,  the  30th  of  September,  1759  (Vol.  1,  p.  309): 

' 'Before  I  finish  my  letter,  I  must  say  a  word  of  the  Tchica- 
chas,  or  Chickasaws.  This  nation  is  not  so  numerous  as  the 
Choctaws,  but  more  terrible,  an  account  of  their  intrepidity. 
All  the  Northern  and  Southern  Indian  nations,  and  even  the 
French,  have  attacked  them,  without  ever  being  able  to  drive 
them  out  of  their  country,  which  is  the  finest  and  most  fruitful 
on  the  continent.  The  Chickasaws  are  tall,  well  made,  and  of  an 
unparalleled  courage.  In  1752  and  1753  they  attacked  Messrs. 
Benoist  and  de  Reggio,  who  commanded  the  convoys  from  the 
Illinois  station,  descending  the  river  Mississippi:  these  Indians 
always  choose  some  advantageous  situation  to  make  an  attack 
in;  their  most  common  post  is  at  the  rocks  of  Prudhomme, 
since  the  river  being  narrow  there,  they  can  annoy  the  boats, 
which  have  no  decks. 

"It  is  believed  that  the  Chickasaws  killed  Messrs.  Bouffelet 
and  de  la  Mosliere;  these  two  officers,  though  they  were  very 
brave,  fell  into  an  ambuscade  for  want  of  experience,  not  knowing 

271 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  topography  of  the  country  they  were  in  any  more  than 
General  Braddock. 

"An  officer  ought,  therefore,  always  to  apply  to  this,  in  order 
to  avoid  surprises,  or  else,  therefore,  always  be  on  the  defensive 
and  prepared." 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  usual  point  of  attack  is  stated  to 
have  been  at  Proudhomme,  the  river  being  narrower  there.  The 
place  thus  referred  to  was  no  doubt  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluff, 
which,  as  shown  hereinbefore,  at  an  early  date  became  erroneous- 
ly called  Proudhomme.  Dr.  Barton  in  his  New  Views  of  the 
Origin  of  the  American  Indians  (1797,  p.  48)  says:  "From  the 
accounts  which  I  have  collected  from  the  Chickassah,  I  con- 
cluded they  crossed  the  Mississippi  nearly  opposite  the  Chicka- 
saw Bluff";  and  this  accords  with  what  they  told  Dr.  Lincecum 
many  years  afterwards,  and  we  know  full  well  that  from  ancient 
times  it  has  been  their  chief  entrepot. 

I  have  quoted  at  large  from  this  letter  of  Captain  Bossu, 
because  it  is  dated  only  seventeen  days  after  the  defeat  of  Mont- 
calm by  Wolfe,  September  13,  1759,  on  the  Plain  of  Abraham  at 
Quebec,  and  because  he  was  on  the  ground  in  the  Tombigbee 
country  at  that  particular  time,  and  being  a  French  officer  he  was 
there  in  all  probability  at  the  instance  of  his  government  to 
spy  out  the  situation  and  make  report  of  what  he  observed  that 
would  be  important  for  the  French  government  to  know.  His 
visit  was  only  seven  years  after  the  defeat  of  Vaudreuil  by  the 
Chickasaws,  that  being  the  third  signal  defeat  of  the  French  and 
their  many  Indian  allies,  as  well  as  white  mercenaries,  by  the 
unaided  Chickasaws.  I  say  unaided  Chickasaws,  because,  while 
the  English  flag  was  run  up  at  the  battle  of  Ackie,  there  could  have 
been  only  a  few  English  traders  at  most  who  were  with  the 
Chickasaws,  no  one  claiming  the  presence  of  English  troops. 

Only  four  years  after  the  visit  of  Captain  Bossu  to  the 
Tombigbee  country,  France,  by  the  treaty  of  1763,  ceded  the 
Chickasaws  and  contiguous  countries  to  England,  thus  forever 
surrendering  all  her  claims  to  what  Bossu  described  as  "the  finest 

272 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  most  fruitful  (country)  on  the  continent,"  and  thus  also 
forever  destroying  the  cherished  ambition  of  Bienville,  which 
caused  him  in  retirement  to  shed  bitter  tears  of  disappointment, 
after  he,  Vaudreuil,  D'Artaguette,  and  their  faithful  followers 
and  Indian  allies  had  endured  so  many  hardships  and  had  sacri- 
ficed so  many  lives  in  the  vain  endeavor  to  extirpate  the  invincible 
Chickasaws,  who  stood  like  lions  in  the  pathway  of  the  French 
in  their  cherished  ambition  that  the  lilies  of  France  and  the  cross 
of  her  church  should  dominate  the  North  American  continent. 

Who  can  doubt  for  one  moment  that  one  of  the  main,  if  not 
controlling,  reasons,  which  induced  the  French  to  surrender  all 
hopes  of  retaining  this  fair  country,  was  the  previous  impossibility 
to  defeat  the  intrepid  Chickasaws,  and  the  picture  drawn  by 
Bossu  showing  that  they  were  still  invincible? 

Nor  did  Bossu  overdraw  the  picture. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  Adair,  the  English  trader,  first  went 
to  live  for  some  years  among  the  Chickasaws  in  1744,  or  only 
eight  years  after  the  signal  defeats  of  Bienville  and  D'Artaguette, 
and  what  is  also  important  to  remember,  only  eight  years  before 
the  signal  defeat  of  Vaudreuil  by  the  Chickasaws;  and  as  Adair 
tells  us  that  the  greater  part  of  his  book  was  written  in  the 
Chickasaw  country,  he  was  but  recording  passing  events,  trans- 
piring within  his  own  observation,  when  speaking  of  the  Chicka- 
saws and  the  manner  in  which  they  fought  the  French  and 
thwarted  all  of  their  plans  to  control  the  lower  Mississippi  River 
and  its  valley. 

Commencing  at  p.  354  Adair  gives  a  summary  of  these 
struggles,  and  further  on  says :  \ 

"Flushed  with  this  success,  many  parties  turned  out  against 
the  French,  and  from  time  to  time  hunted  them  far  and  near; — 
some  went  to  the  Mississippi,  made  a  fleet  of  cypress-bark 
canoes,  watched  their  trading  boats,  and  cut  off  many  of  them 
without  saving  any  of  the  people.  The  French  finding  it  im- 
practicable for  a  few  boats  to  pass  those  red  men  of  war  were 
obliged  to  go  in  a  fleet,  carry  swivel-guns  in  their  long  pettiaugres, 

273 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

with  plenty  of  men ;  but  always  shunning  the  Chikkasah  side  of 
the  river,  and  observing  the  strictest  order  in  their  movements  by 
day,  and  in  their  stations  at  night.  The  walking  of  a  wild  beast, 
I  have  been  assured,  has  frequently  called  them  to  arms,  and 
kept  them  awake  for  the  whole  night,  they  were  in  so  great 
a  dread  of  this  warlike  natjon.  The  name  of  a  Chikkasah  be- 
came so  dreadful,  as  it  was  hateful  to  their  ears.  And  had  it  not 
been  more  owing  to  French  policy  than  bravery  in  uniting  all  the 
Mississippi  and  Canada  Indians  in  a  confederacy  and  enmity 
against  them,  Louisiana  settlements  would  have  been  long  since 
either  entirely  destroyed  or  confined  to  garrison." 

Bancroft  (Vol.  II,  p.  234)  says: 

"The  great  object  of  the  crown  was  the  establishment  of 
its  power  in  Louisiana.  The  Chickasaws  were  the  dreaded 
enemies  who  had  hurried  the  Natchez  to  bloodshed  and  de- 
struction; in  their  cedar  barks,  shooting  boldly  into  the  Mississip- 
pi, they  interrupted  the  connection  between  Kaskaskia  and  New 
Orleans.  They  maintained  their  savage  independence  and 
weakened  by  dividing  the  French  empire.  They  made  all  set- 
tlements on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Mississippi  unsafe  from  the 
vicinity  of  New  Orleans  to  Kaskaskia.  They  welcomed  the 
English  traders  from  Carolina  to  their  villages;  they  even  en- 
deavored to  debauch  the  affections  of  the  Illinois,  and  to  extirpate 
French  dominion  from  the  west.  After  nearly  two  years' 
preparation,  in  1736,  the  whole  force  of  the  colony  at  the  south, 
with  D'Artaguette  and  troops  from  his  command  in  Illinois  and 
probably  from  the  Wabash,  was  directed  to  meet,  on  the  tenth 
of  May,  in  their  land.  The  government  of  France  had  itself 
given  directions  for  the  invasion,  and  watched  the  issue  of  the 
strife." 

I  do  not  place  very  great  reliance  upon  the  deduction  made 
by  even  so  distinguished  a  writer  as  Bancroft,  unless  it  appears 
that  he  has  made  a  special  study  of  the  subject  upon  which  an 
opinion  is  expressed.     The  reasons  for  this  view  are  obvious. 

George  J.  Leftwich  of  Aberdeen,  Mississippi,  is  an  eminent 
lawyer,  and  has  contributed  several  valuable  historical  papers 
upon  local  Mississippi  history,  and  now  has  in  preparation  a 

274 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

volume  on  the  Tombigbee  country;  and  in  a  recent  letter  to  me 
he  says : 

"I  am  now  making  a  study  of  the  state  of  Louisiana  under 
the  French  and  Spanish  regimes,  and  every  day  I  am  more  and 
more  impressed  with  the  services  done  the  English-speaking  race 
by  the  Chickasaws,  under  the  direction  of  English  traders  during 
the  formative  period  of  the  Southwest.  Could  the  French  and 
Spanish  have  overrun  these  hardy  warriors,  there  is  no  telling 
now  the  consequences." 

May  we  not  go  further  and  say  that,  to  a  great  extent,  the 
English-speaking  peoples,  the  world  over,  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude 
to  the  invincible  Chickasaws,  in  that  to  them  is  due  the  credit  in 
a  large  measure  that  the  English-speaking  people  now  dominate, 
not  only  the  North  American  continent,  but  the  uncivilized  as 
well  as  all  civilized  mankind? 

In  this  connection  we  should  remember  that  not  only  were 
all  the  more  numerous  neighbors  of  the  Chickasaws,  that  is,  the 
Choctaws,  Creeks,  Cherokees,  and  Seminoles,  hostile  to  the 
English,  and  often  in  league  with  the  French,  but  the  lesser 
tribes  and  near  neighbors  of  the  Chickasaws  were  the  allies  of 
the  French.  Thus,  Halbert  in  an  interesting  article  on  "The 
Small  Indian  Tribes  of  Mississippi"  (5  Miss.  Hist.  Soc,  pp.  302, 
307)  states  that  the  Southern  Indians  were  so  dissatisfied  with 
the  treaty  of  1763,  under  which  the  French  ceded  their  rights 
east  of  the  Mississippi  to  Great  Britain,   (to  quote)  that 

" Representatives  from  all  the  Indian  tribes  south  of  the 
Ohio  River  held  a  general  council  at  Mobile  in  the  spring  of 
1764  to  decide  what  course  to  pursue  regarding  the  now  all- 
absorbing  power  of  the  English.  Many  of  the  Indians,  and  in 
some  cases  whole  tribes,  resolved  to  expatriate  themselves,  and 
follow  the  French  to  Louisiana.  The  tribes  that  carried  this 
resolve  into  effect  were  the  Tensas,  Biloxis,  and  Pascagoulas; 
also  many  of  the  sixtown  Choctaws,  and  a  part  of  the  Coshattees 
and  Alibamos." 

275 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Practically  single-handed  and  alone  the  intrepid  Chickasaws 
defied  not  only  the  French  empire  but  all  of  the  Indian  allies  of 
the  French  and  so  successfully  that  their  victories  read  almost 
like  romance.  The  prowess  of  the  Chickasaws  upon  the  great 
Mississippi  was  no  doubt  one  of  the  main  factors  which  won  for 
them  the  glory  of  a  triumphant  end  of  all  their  struggles  with  the 
French  and  their  Indian  allies. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  the  Chickasaws  were  con- 
spicuous by  their  absence  from  the  great  Indian  council  at  Mobile 
in  1764  to  shed  tears  over  the  withdrawal  of  the  French,  and  to 
exile  themselves  by  following  the  French  to  Louisiana. 

And,  likewise,  the  Chickasaws  were  also  conspicuous  in  alone 
rejoicing  at  the  withdrawal  of  the  French,  which  meant  also  that 
England  was  to  exercise  undisputed  sway  over  the  land  of  the 
Chickasaws  and  adjacent  Indian  countries  east  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  the  future  critical  and  analytical  historians  will  not  fail 
to  give  to  the  Chickasaws  that  meed  of  praise  for  their  valor  and 
unconquerable  spirit;  and  what  is  more  important  will  accord  to 
their  primitive  warriors  the  just  tribute  of  having  been  the  de- 
termining factor  which  turned  the  scale  against  the  French  and 
in  favor  of  the  British,  thus  making  the  English-speaking  people 
the  overlords  on  the  American  continent. 

The  English  Gain  Control  of  the  Gulf  States— 

The  long  struggle  between  England  and  France  for  suprem- 
acy in  what  now  constitute  the  Gulf  States,  and  over  the  waters 
of  the  Mississippi,  ended  with  the  treaty  of  Paris,  concluded  on 
February  10,  1763.    By  that  treaty  (to  quote), 

"The  most  Christian  king  cedes  to  his  Britannic  Majesty  the 
river  and  the  port  of  Mobile  and  all  that  he  possesses  on  the 
left  side  of  the  river  Mississippi,  with  the  exception  of  New 
Orleans  and  the  island  on  which  it  is  situated." 

Out  of  this  territory  on  October  7,  1763,  by  proclamation  of 
the  king,  there  was  laid  off  the  British  Province  of  West  Florida ; 

276 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  on  November  20,  1763,  George  Johnstone,  a  son  of 
Sir  James  Johnstone,  was  appointed  the  first  governor  of 
the  new  province,  presumably  through  the  influence  of  Lord 
Bute,  then  premier  of  England,  and  like  the  Johnstones  a 
Scotsman. 

It  appears  Governor  Johnstone  did  not  arrive  to  take  charge 
of  west  Florida  until  October,  1764,  and  he  then  found  the 
Indians  in  a  perfect  ferment,  as  he  believed,  incited  thereto  by 
the  French. 

He  estimated  the  fighting  men  of  the  Creeks  at  3,600,  those 
of  the  Choctaws  at  6,000,  while  he  estimated  all  the  Indians 
surrounding  the  province  at  12,000  men,  while  his  own  force  was 
small  and  weak. 

Already  the  Choctaws  were  in  so  bad  a  temper  that  they 
were  sending  the  bloody  hatchet,  their  symbol  of  war,  to  the  other 
nations.  The  Chickasaws  are  not  mentioned  in  the  first  reports, 
doubtless  because  they  were  giving  no  trouble. 

On  March  26,  1765,  so  far  as  my  researches  have  disclosed, 
the  Chickasaws  first  appear  in  a  council  of  the  governor  with  the 
Choctaws,  the  Chickasaws  being  represented  by  Paya  Mattaha, 
their  principal  leader,  and  other  chiefs,  while  the  Choctaws 
were  represented  by  Alibamon  Mingo  and  several  other  great 
medal  chiefs,  as  well  as  two  small  medal  chiefs. 

In  his  address  to  the  Chickasaws,  among  other  things, 
Governor  Johnstone  said : 

"You,  generous  friends  of  the  Chickasaw  nation,  who  have 
so  long  adhered  to  the  interest  of  the  English,  whom  neither 
dangers  could  startle  nor  promises  seduce  from  our  interest,  I 
hope  there  is  little  more  necessary  with  you  than  to  renew  our 
ancient  alliance,  which,  as  it  has  continued  for  many  ages  to  the 
mutual  advantage  of  both  nations,  I  hope  will  continue  until  this 
earth  is  dissolved  and  the  great  Day  of  Judgment  shall  come  when 
God  will  pronounce  on  the  actions  of  men;  rewarding  those  who 
have  behaved  justly  and  punishing  those  who  have  held  a  con- 
trary conduct." 

277 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

After  many  speeches  had  been  made,  on  the  next  day 
Governor  Johnstone  further  said : 

"And  first  I  speak  to  you,  Chickasaw  warriors.  The  king 
looks  upon  your  nation  as  a  son  brought  up  in  the  house  of  his 
father,  who  had  been  from  his  infancy  dutyfull  and  had  by  that 
means  merited  his  paternal  tenderness  and  care  by  which  he  was 
preserved  and  defended  from  numberless  surrounding  dangers; 
so  has  it  been  with  you  till  this  day,  which  is  clear  and  bright, 
and  the  paths  from  your  towns  to  every  country  round  are  safe 
and  clear,  and  your  father  rejoices  at  your  happyness  and  con- 
tinues to  love  you." 

By  wise  policies  Governor  Johnstone  pacified  the  various 
Indian  tribes  as  near  as  that  could  be  done  at  that  time  and  with 
his  small  garrison.  Years  were  to  elapse,  however,  and  wars  and 
rumors  of  war  were  to  follow  in  close  succession,  before  enduring 
peace  between  the  Indians  and  whites  was  to  appear;  and  then 
only  after  the  Indians  hostile  to  the  whites  were  removed  from 
their  ancient  homes  to  new  homes  in  the  far  West;  but  this  is 
another  story  far  beyond  the  purview  of  this  sketch. 

The  Prophecy  of  Adair  Fulfilled— 

As  we  are  now  approaching  the  end  of  the  days  of  the  primi- 
tive Chickasaws,  and  in  the  next  chapter  are  to  take  up  the 
treaties  between  them  and  the  United  States,  it  may  be  well  here 
to  recall  that  to  a  certain  extent  the  nation  had  come  partially 
within  the  light  of  history;  for  Adair  had  gone  to  trade  among 
the  Indians  in  1735,  and  first  went  among  the  Chickasaws  in 
1744,  to  whom  he  was  warmly  attached,  and  among  them  he 
tells  us  that  he  wrote  the  most  of  his  book;  and  it  has  been  said, 
how  true  I  know  not,  that  he  was  married  to  a  Chickasaw  woman. 

Boudinot  says  (p.  211)  that  some  time  about  1774  or  1775 
Adair  came  to  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  and  applied  to  Mr.  Livings- 
ton, afterwards  governor  of  the  State  and  well  known  for  his 
literary  attainments,  to  correct  his  manuscripts,  which  had  been 
prepared   under   most   disadvantageous   circumstances   in    the 

278 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

wilderness.  The  political  troubles  were  then  such  that  Adair, 
who  was  then  on  his  way  to  Great  Britain,  was  advised  not  to 
risk  being  detained,  but  to  get  off  on  the  first  vessel  leaving  and 
have  his  manuscripts  examined  after  arriving  in  England ;  this  he 
did,  his  book  appearing  in  1775. 

Boudinot  adds  that  as  soon  as  the  Revolutionary  War  was 
over,  he  sent  to  London  and  obtained  a  copy  of  Adair's  book, 
which  he  carefully  read,  after  which  he  strictly  examined  a 
gentleman, 

"then  a  member  with  him  in  Congress  of  excellent  char- 
acter who  had  acted  as  our  Indian  agent  to  the  southward 
during  the  war  (without  letting  him  know  the  design)  and  from 
him  found  all  the  leading  facts  mentioned  herein  fully  confirmed 
by  his  own  knowledge." 

At  the  end  of  Adair's  book  there  is  what  he  calls  an  appendix, 
or  advice  to  statesmen.  In  this  appendix  he  sets  out  in  a  very 
plain  and  striking  manner  the  futility  of  the  English  government 
in  dealing  with  the  early  settlers,  or  what  he  calls  Provincials, 
as  well  as  with  the  Indians.  He  repeatedly  admonishes  his 
countrymen  that  the  Provincials  should  have  a  constitutional 
form  of  government,  and  makes  it  plain  that  the  Provincials  or 
early  settlers  would  never  submit  to  be  ruled  by  pampered 
princelings  sent  from  England.  He  likewise  insisted  that  the 
treatment  of  the  government  towards  the  Indians  should  be 
of  a  more  kindly  character,  having  due  regard  to  the  rights  of  the 
aborigines.  He  urged  that  the  Indians  should  be  properly  com- 
pensated for  their  lands,  especially  the  Chickasaws;  and  on  page 
459  he  says: 

"Should  Great  Britain  duly  exert  herself,  as  the  value  of  this 
place  requires,  by  the  assistance  of  our  old  Chikkasah  allies,  the 
other  Indian  nations  would  be  forced  to  pursue  their  true  interest 
by  living  peaceably  with  us;  and  be  soon  enticed  to  become 
very  serviceable  both  to  our  planters  and  the  enlargement  of 
trade." 

279 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 
On  page  463  he  says : 

"The  continent  of  North  America,  if  properly  cultivated, 
will  prove  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  wealth  and  strength  to  Great 
Britain;  and  perhaps  it  may  become  the  last  asylum  of  British 
liberty,  when  the  nation  is  enslaved  by  domestic  despotism  or 
foreign  dominion;  when  her  substance  is  wasted,  her  spirits 
broken,  and  the  laws  and  constitution  of  England  are  no  more, 
then  those  colonies  sent  off  by  our  fathers  may  receive  and  en- 
tertain their  sons  as  helpless  exiles  and  ruined   refugees." 

By  a  strange  sort  of  coincidence,  at  the  very  time  I  read  the 
foregoing  excerpts  (May,  191 7)  the  Right  Honorable  Arthur 
James  Balfour  and  other  special  ambassadors  from  England  had 
just  arrived  in  Washington  City,  there  to  seek  the  assistance  of 
the  United  States  in  preventing  the  destruction  of  Great  Britain 
in  the  world-wide  war,  in  which  the  commerce  and  the  very 
existence  of  England  itself  was  threatened.  And  at  the  same  time 
there  was  hoisted  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world  the 
flag  of  the  Unites  States  over  Westminster  Abbey,  alongside  of 
the  Union  Jack;  thereby  signifying  the  union  of  the  English- 
speaking  people  of  the  world  in  defense  of  democracy  and  the 
rights  of  humanity  against  autocracy. 

Adair  published  his  book  in  1775,  and  it  would  seem  with 
prophetic  vision,  because  what  he  foresaw  or  conjectured  took 
place  152  years  after  he  gave  his  book  to  the  world. 


As  one  who  speaks  the  English  tongue,  and  who  believes  in 
the  great  destiny  of  that  people,  I  rejoiced  when  America  joined 
hands  with  England  in  defense  of  the  ideals  of  all  English- 
speaking  people,  and  will  here  quote  from  Vol.  V,  p.  199,  of 
Ridpath's  history  of  the  world-nations: 

"The  British  writers  of  the  period  took  up  our  favorite 
characters,  and  published  panegyrics  on  Washington  and 
Lincoln  and  Grant  and  Lee.  Mutual  admiration  was  fanned,  and 

280 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  bards  broke  out  with  their  rhapsodies.  William  Watson  and 
Alfred  Austin,  the  new  poet  laureate,  were  answered  in  America 
by  Robert  Underwood  Johnson,  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich,  and 
other  American  poets  of  first  rank,  who  strove  to  express  the 
prevailing  aspiration  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  for 
a  closer  touch  and  a  more  cordial  fraternity. 

"Among  these  expressions  of  poetic  enthusiasm  rising  into 
the  realm  of  race  affinities  and  international  relations,  we  may 
select  the  following  sonnet  byWalter  Malone,  as  a  fitting  con- 
clusion to  this  brief  section  of  the  history  of  the  British  Empire. 

"Beneath  the  arctic  peaks  of  silent  snow; 

Through  tropic  isles  enwreathed  with  orange  blooms; 

Where  brown  Gibraltar  like  a  giant  looms; 
Where  furnaces  of  red  Sahara  glow; 
In  spicy  groves,  where  softest  breezes  blow; 

In  tangled  Hindu  jungles'  deepest  glooms; 

By  mummied  Pharaoh's  immemorial  tombs, 
The  Saxon  legions  conquer  every  foe. 

"So  Alfred's  spear  and  Nelson's  sword  shall  be 
Guards  for  the  flag  that  Washington  unfurled; 

With  might  of  Cromwell,  Lincoln,  Blake,  and  Lee 
Our  gauntlet  at  invaders  shall  be  hurled ; 

Lords  of  the  land  and  emperors  of  the  sea 
The  eagle  and  the  lion  face  the  world!" 

The  Chickasaws  Neutral  During  the  Revolution— 

Not  long  previous  to  the  Revolutionary  War  we  have  seen 
that  the  Chickasaws  came  under  the  firm  and  wise  administration 
of  Governor  Johnstone  of  west  Florida,  and  that  for  long  years 
they  had  been  the  faithful  friends  and  allies  of  the  English. 
Adair  had  first  gone  to  live  among  them  in  1744;  and  no  doubt 
his  intelligence  and  probity  of  character  served  to  bind  their 
attachment  to  the  English. 

The  next  year  after  he  left  America  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  written  by  Jefferson,  who  had  always  been  friendly 
to  the  Indians,  and  he  and  the  early  settlers  spoke  the  English 
language,  and  belonged  to  the  great  English-speaking  race. 

281 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

No  doubt  the  Chickasaws  were  sorely  puzzled ;  and  situated 
as  they  were,  they  acted  wisely  and  discreetly  by  remaining 
entirely  neutral  during  that  great  conflict.  As  soon  as  peace 
came,  they  as  wisely  aligned  themselves  with  the  United  States 
of  America. 

I  know  of  but  one  instance  in  which  the  Chickasaws  came 
near  measuring  their  prowess  with  American  soldiers,  and  that 
occurred  in  1780,  when  Colonel  James  Clark  erected  in  the  Chick- 
asaw country,  not  far  below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  a  fort  from 
which  to  make  incursions  into  the  Miami  country  north  of  the 
Ohio;  which  he  did,  burning  the  Pequa  and  Chillicothe  villages. 

Justly  indignant  at  this  unwarranted  aggression,  the  Chicka- 
saws besieged  the  fortress  in  1781,  when  Clark  hastened  to  the 
rescue  with  reinforcements  from  Kaskaskia,  and  the  Chickasaws 
withdrew.  The  Americans,  doubtless  realizing  that  they  were 
wrong,  soon  afterwards  dismantled  the  fort  and  left  the  Chicka- 
saw country,  and  the  Chickasaws  quietly  retired  to  their  homes. 

Why  Mississippians,  Tennesseeans,  Alabamians 

and  Kentuckians  Should  be  Proud  of  the  Chickasaw  Nation— 

Though  it  may  appear  a  digression,  I  can  not  forbear  at 
this  place  to  recall  the  description  given  by  the  great  Chickasaw 
Chief  Piomingo,  at  the  celebrated  conference  in  Nashville  in  1792 
where  he  so  described  in  one  short  sentence  the  boundaries  of  the 
Chickasaw  country  that  an  engineer  would  have  had  no  difficulty 
whatever  in  its  delimitations. 

Translated  into  present  geographical  terms  it  embraced 
north  Mississippi,  all  of  west  Tennessee,  and  part  of  middle 
Tennessee,  part  of  western  Kentucky,  and  portions  of  north 
Alabama,  a  princely  domain,  over  which  the  Chickasaws, 
though  so  small  in  numbers,  were  the  undisputed  overlords. 

I  can  not  do  better  than  to  conclude  the  chapter  with  the 
closing  words  of  Pickett  (p.  298)  to  Chapter  XIV  of  his  most 
excellent  history  of  Alabama. 

282 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"The  Chickasaws  have  never  been  conquered.  They  could 
not  be  defeated  by  De  Soto  with  his  Spanish  army  in  1541 ;  by 
Beinville  with  his  French  army  and  Southern  Indians,  in  1736; 
by  D'Artaguette  with  his  French  army  and  Northern  Indians; 
by  the  Marquis  De  Vaudreuil  with  his  French  troops  and  Choc- 
taws,  in  1752;  nor  by  the  Creeks,  Cherokees,  Kickapoos,  Shaw- 
nees,  and  Choctaws,  who  continually  waged  war  against  them. 
No!  they  were  'the  bravest  of  the  brave';  and  even  when  they 
had  emigrated  to  the  territory  of  Arkansas,  not  many  years  ago, 
they  soon  subdued  some  tribes  who  attacked  them  in  that 
quarter. 

"Young  men  of  northwestern  Alabama  and  northeastern 
Mississippi!  Remember,  that  the  bravest  race  that  ever  lived 
once  occupied  the  country  which  you  now  inhabit,  once  fished 
your  streams,  and  chased  the  elk  over  your  vast  plains.  Re- 
member that,  whenever  that  soil  which  you  now  tread  was 
pressed  by  the  feet  of  foes,  it  was  not  only  bravely  defended, 
but  drenched  with  the  blood  of  the  invaders.  Will  you  ever  dis- 
grace that  soil,  and  the  memory  of  its  first  occupants,  by  sub- 
mitting to  injustice  and  oppression,  and  finally  to  invasion? 
We  unhesitatingly  give  the  answer  for  you,  'No,  no,  never!' 

Why  the  Chickasaws  were  Unconquered  and  Unconquerable- 
Writers  often  express  surprise  at  the  wonderful  achieve- 
ments of  the  Chickasaws  in  their  contests  for  supremacy  with 
other  Indian  tribes  so  much  greater  in  numbers,  as  well  as  at 
the  many  defeats  which  the  French  suffered  at  their  hands. 

I  think  that  an  attentive  consideration  to  their  history  and 
characteristics  furnish  a  solution  to  the  question  so  often  asked, 
what  were  the  reasons  that  this  comparatively  small  nation  was 
almost  invincible? 

Roosevelt  in  his  Winning  of  the  West  very  correctly  states 
that  they  were  more  closely  knit  together  than  any  of  their  more 
numerous  neighbors,  and  always  acted  in  unison.  Here  we  see 
that  they  had  the  good  sense  not  only  to  appreciate  the  wisdom 
of  the  aphorism  that  in  union  there  is  strength,  but  they  made 
this  aphorism  a  part  of  their  national  life,  which  was  the  all- 
important  consideration. 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

We  have  seen  in  this  chapter  their  prowess  upon  the  Missis- 
sippi River  and  how  they  harried  the  French  when  navigating 
that  great  artery  of  trade  and  traffic  in  pioneer  days ;  and  likewise 
it  will  be  recalled  that  when,  with  the  aid  of  the  Cherokees,  they 
swept  the  Shawnees  from  the  Cumberland  River  country  and 
drove  them  north  of  the  Ohio,  that  great  contest  was  known  as 
the  battle  of  the  canoes;  thus  showing  that  their  prowess  on  the 
affluents  of  the  Mississippi  was  felt  by  their  Indian  enemies. 
As  shown  in  the  seventh  chapter,  while  the  Fourth  Chickasaw 
Bluff  was  their  great  entrepot,  still  they  had  well  used  trails 
leading  southwest,  ending  abruptly  where  Nelson's  Bluff  touches 
the  lower  Tallahatchie  River  and  where  the  Yalabusha  River 
touches  the  foothills;  and  from  these  points  we  may  be  assured 
they  fared  forth  in  their  cypress  bark  canoes  to  wage  relentless 
warfare  upon  their  enemies,  for  on  their  rivers  they  were  perfectly 
at  home  and  ruled  the  waves  as  certainly  as  England  has  ruled  on 
the  waves  of  the  oceans.  Other  tribes  were  doubtless  like  the 
Choctaws,  who  were  helpless  on  the  water.  In  modern  times  it 
has  become  axiomatic,  or  nearly  so,  that  sea  power  means  world 
power,  and  it  can  readily  be  seen  what  an  immense  advantage  the 
Chickasaws  possessed  over  other  tribes  who  were  helpless  upon 
the  water  where  the  Chickasaws  were  almost  supreme. 

While  the  primitive  Chickasaws  were  a  deeply  religious 
people,  we  have  seen  that  probably  they  were  less  superstitious 
than  any  other  tribe  of  Indians.  They  never  went  to  war,  except 
after  not  only  war  councils  but  also  elaborate  religious  ceremonies 
accompanied  by  long  continued  fasting.  When  they  did  go  to 
war,  it  was  with  that  religious  fervor  and  zeal  which  often  counts 
for  so  much  in  winning  a  war. 

There  was  still  another  matter  which  I  regard  as  of  great 
moment,  and  that  was  the  superb  characters  of  the  Chickasaw 
women,  who  were  what  Caesar's  wife  was  or  should  have  been, 
and  that  was  above  suspicion;  and  we  have  seen  that  they  were 
so  regarded  by  their  men.  When  Adair  inquired  of  a  sage 
Chickasaw  why  in  this  respect  the  Chickasaws  were  so  particular, 

284 


CHICKASAW     CO. 


QAmo/** 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  he  might  have  added  and  different  from  some  other  Indians, 
the  answer  was  in  substance  that  they  were  a  small  people,  and 
were  often  at  war  with  their  more  numerous  neighbors,  and  that 
it  was  of  supreme  importance  that  the  blood  of  the  Chickasaw 
warriors  should  continue  to  run  pure,  and  this  could  not  be  if 
their  women  were  dissolute. 

This  was  but  the  enunciation  of  what  I  understand  is  now 
an  accepted  truism,  and  that  is  that  no  people  can  long  persist 
when  their  women  become  dissolute;  and  on  the  other  hand  that 
whatever  calamities,  such  as  wars,  famines  or  pestilence  may  over- 
take and  crush  a  people,  they  may  still  rise  superior  to  all  earthly 
misfortunes  where  the  motherhood  of  that  people  is  of  the  lofty 
character  of  the  ancient  Chickasaw  women. 

As  these  were  the  outstanding  characteristics  of  the  Chick- 
asaws  as  a  nation  and  individually,  why  should  we  be  surprised 
at  their  achievements,  or  that  they  earned  the  title  of  the  un- 
conquered  and  unconquerable? 

Historic  Chickasaw  Country— 

Before  leaving  the  remote  historic  past  of  the  Chickasaws  and 
their  ancient  home  in  Mississippi,  at  the  especial  solicitation  of 
E.  T.  Winston,  at  present  the  mayor  of  Pontotoc,  Mississippi, 
and  who  is  an  authority  on  historic  localities  in  that  section  of 
the  State,  I  have  had  a  cut  made  of  that  most  interesting  portion 
of  north  Mississippi,  which  will  be  found  at  the  conclusion  of  this 
chapter. 

As  shown  on  the  map  it  was  prepared  by  the  well  known 
civil  engineer  J.  Paul  Gaines,  of  Memphis,  who,  as  already 
pointed  out,  was  well  equipped  for  this  work,  and  to  whom  I  am 
indebted  for  three  of  the  cuts  appearing  in  this  volume. 

For  the  precise  location  of  these  historic  localities  I  am  in- 
debted to  Mr.  Winston,  who  for  many  years  has  made  an  especial 
study  of  this  most  interesting  subject.  Judge  Charles  Lee 
Crum,  of  New  Albany,  Mississippi,  furnished  me  with  a  map 
drawn  to  scale  of  the  place  where  De  Soto  crossed  the  Talla- 

285 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

hatchie  in  i54i,andof  other  important  historic  points  near  thereto, 
and  this  has  been  much  reduced  in  size  and  made  an  insert  in 
the  upper  right  hand  corner  of  the  Gaines  map,  showing  the  de- 
tails of  the  crossing  by  De  Soto  of  the  Tallahatchie. 

A  short  explanatory  statement  may  aid  the  reader  to  a 
better  understanding  of  the  details  of  the  map. 

Winston  and  Professor  Lewis  agree  that  the  camp  of  De  Soto 
in  the  winter  of  1 540-1 541  was  located  in  what  is  now  the  south 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  21,  and  the  north  half 
of  northwest  quarter  of  section  28,  of  township  11  and  range  3 
east,  of  the  Chickasaw  Cession,  in  Pontotoc  County,  and  it  is  so 
designated  near  the  south  end  of  the  map. 

Professor  Lewis  concluded  that  De  Soto  crossed  the  Talla- 
hatchie in  April,  1541,  near  where  New  Albany  now  is  in  Union 
County,  and  not  at  Rocky  Ford,  some  fifteen  miles  down  the 
river;  and  in  this  opinion  Winston  and  Crum  concur.  There  is 
a  very  slight  difference  between  Winston  and  Crum  as  to  the 
precise  point  of  crossing  in  this:  Winston  states  the  place  of 
crossing  as  in  section  8,  township  7  and  range  3  east,  whereas  the 
map  which  Crum  sent  me  shows  the  crossing  in  section  7  just 
across  the  line  dividing  sections  7  and  8.  However,  as  the  dif- 
ference, comparatively  speaking,  is  inappreciable,  and  as  Crum's 
home  abuts  the  crossing,  his  map  was  followed,  upon  the  sup- 
position that  he  was  the  better  judge  as  to  the  precise  point  of 
the  crossing. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  river  here  has  a  solid  rock  bottom, 
a  very  unusual  feature,  from  which,  in  all  probability,  the  river 
took  its  name,  as  Tallahatchie  means  rock  river.  Moreover,  the 
river  is  narrow  at  this  place,  and  the  river  valley  is  also  narrow, 
making  it  an  ideal  place  for  crossing  by  primitive  men. 

Next  comes  the  location  of  the  place  where  D'Artaguette 
and  his  army  of  French,  Canadians,  and  Indians,  were  defeated 
on  May  20,  1736,  by  the  Chickasaws.  This  place  is  now  in 
section  17,  township  10,  and  range  3  east,  some  seven  miles  north 
of  the  site  of  De  Soto's  camp,  where,  195  years  previously,  the 

286 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Chickasaws  came  so  near  destroying  De  Soto  and  his  Spanish 
army.  This  place  is  also  the  site  of  Old  Pontotoc,  near  Pontotoc 
Creek.  The  free  translation  of  the  original  Chickasaw  word  for 
Pontotoc  means  hanging  grapes,  on  account  of  the  abundance 
of  that  wild  fruit  which  hung  from  the  trees  along  Pontotoc 
Creek,  and  this  creek,  much  reduced  in  size  and  shorn  of  its 
primeval  beauty,  is  about  all,  according  to  Cushman,  to  mark 
the  site  of  this  important  historic  locality. 

Turning  now  to  the  map,  some  fifteen  miles  northeast  of 
the  place  where  D'Artaguette  met  his  signal  defeat,  there  will  be 
seen  designated  on  the  map,  ' 'Battle  of  Ackia,  May  26,  1736," 
where  the  Chickasaws  so  signally  defeated  Bienville  and  his 
army  of  French,  Swiss,  negroes,  and  Indians  only  six  days  after 
they  had  nearly  annihilated  the  whole  army  of  D'Artaguette. 

It  will  also  be  noted  that  the  site  of  the  battle  of  Ackia  lies 
at  the  edge  of  the  Chickasaw  Old  Fields,  a  beautiful  prairie 
country  in  the  present  Lee  County,  and  where  most  of  the 
Chickasaws  lived  at  that  time. 

The  battle  of  Ackia  was  in  what  is  now  section  21,  township 
9,  and  range  5  east. 

There  are  other  very  interesting  historic  localities  shown  on 
this  map,  located  by  Gaines  in  the  sections,  townships,  and  ranges 
as  given  by  Winston,  but  these  numbers  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to 
repeat,  though  a  short  reference  to  these  localities  may  be  of 
sufficient  interest  to  deserve  a  few  words  of  explanation. 

In  the  section  next  north  of  the  Camp  of  De  Soto  there  is 
marked,  "Stuarts,"  which  was  the  home  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  C- 
Stuart,  the  beloved  missionary  to  the  Chickasaws,  an  account  of 
whom  is  given  hereafter  in  Chapter  XIII.  In  the  third  section 
to  the  north  is  marked  on  the  map,  "Monroe  Mission,"  estab- 
lished by  Stuart  in  1821,  and  named  in  honor  of  James  Monroe, 
then  president  of  the  United  States. 

Some  two  miles  east  of  the  Monroe  Mission  appears  "Tak- 
shish,"  sometimes  written  Tokshish  and  Taxish,  which  was  the 
home  of  General  William  Colbert,  already  mentioned,  and  where 

287 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

he  died.  His  widow,  Minney,  sold  the  place  to  Rev.  J.  A.  Ware, 
a  Baptist  minister,  who  built  a  church  on  the  land,  in  which  he 
preached  for  forty  years,  and  services  are  still  held  there.  The 
property  now  belongs  to  a  son  of  the  Reverend  Ware. 

Some  four  miles  directly  north  of  Takshish  is  marked 
"Treaty  Pontotoc,"  that  is  to  say,  this  was  the  place  where 
treaties  were  debated  and  entered  into. 

Some  three  miles  northeast  of  the  treaty  house  there  is 
indicated  on  the  map  "Old  Pontotoc,"  where  once  stood  the 
ancient  Council  House  of  the  Chickasaws. 

At  the  place  marked  "James  Colbert,"  some  two  miles 
south  of  where  the  battle  of  Ackia  was  fought,  and  some  six  miles 
west  of  the  present  city  of  Tupelo,  a  tavern  was  kept  by  James 
Colbert,  of  the  same  noted  family  as  were  William  and  Levi 
Colbert.  At  this  tavern  the  old  Natchez  Trace  was  crossed  by 
the  present  Tupelo  and  Pontotoc  Road,  later  known  as  Walkers 
Cross  Roads,  and  later  still  as  Bissell's  post  office. 

Near  the  west  edge,  about  midway  of  the  map,  there  is 
marked  the  Indian  name  of  "Olocopotoo,"  now  called  Tocopola. 
D'Artaguette  is  supposed  to  have  traveled  with  his  army  over 
the  trail  passing  Olocopotoo,  and,  according  to  local  tradition, 
after  his  defeat  and  death  the  small  remnant  of  his  army  camped 
the  first  night  after  the  battle  at  Olocopotoo. 

Some  three  miles  south  of  the  present  New  Albany  there  is 
designated  on  the  map  "Kings,"  for  there  it  is  said  lived  the  last 
"king"  of  the  Chickasaws;  but  we  have  seen  that  in  point  of  fact 
they  had  no  such  official  as  a  king.  The  whites  often  designated 
their  leaders  as  kings  upon  the  erroneous  assumption  that  they 
had  a  king. 

The  name  of  this  chief  was  Issaship,  and  the  nearby  creek  on 
Lusher's  map  is  written  Issaship,  but  it  is  now  called  Kings 
Creek,  and  the  place  referred  to  is  called  Kings. 

The  foregoing  is  a  summary  of  the  information  furnished  by 
Winston,  upon  which  Gaines  drew  the  map.  In  the  first  draft 
Gaines  indicated  the  location  of  the  various  railroads  running 

288 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

through  the  country  in  question,  but  on  reflection  he  concluded 
to  leave  these  out  and  represent  only  the  old  primeval  trials, 
with  only  present  day  county  lines  and  the  location  of  a  few 
modern  towns  for  better  identification  of  ancient  historic  places. 

Referring  again  to  the  map  furnished  me  by  Judge  Crum,  a 
much  reduced  copy  whereof  appears  on  the  map  of  Gaines  in  the 
upper  righthand  corner,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  numbers 
thereon  as  follow:  1,2,  and  3.  No.  1  represents  the  place  where 
the  courthouse  is  situated  in  New  Albany.  The  point  2  is  about 
one  thousand  feet  southwest  of  the  courthouse,  where  a  broken 
Spanish  sword  was  dug  up  in  1901,  while  across  the  river,  fifteen 
hundred  feet  almost  due  west  from  the  courthouse,  at  the  point 
3,  a  Spanish  coin  was  found  with  the  year  1539  stamped  thereon, 
that  being  the  year  that  De  Soto  sailed  from  Havana  on  his 
memorable  expedition. 

While  on  this  subject,  it  may  be  noted  that  J.  B.  Jarratt,  a 
Confederate  veteran,  still  hale  and  hearty,  owns  an  ancestral 
estate  of  about  one  thousand  acres  six  miles  southeast  of  Holly 
Springs,  he  being  the  uncle  of  General  Arthur  R.  Taylor. 

On  August  3,  1919,  Mr.  Jarratt  wrote  me  that  there  grew  in 
the  yard  of  his  plantation  home  a  large  oak  tree,  measuring  four 
feet  in  diameter  five  feet  from  the  ground,  and  that  as  it  died, 
he  had  it  cut  down  in  1901,  and  that  three  inches  from  the 
center  of  the  tree  he  found  a  thin  hand-made  horse  shoe,  different 
from  any  he  had  ever  seen,  and  which  he  believed  was  left  there 
by  the  De  Soto  expedition,  and  he  thought  that  it  was  either  put 
around  the  young  tree  or  fastened  to  it,  as  he  counted  over  three 
hundred  rings  on  the  stump  of  the  tree. 

The  Jarratt  property  is  of  a  tableland  character,  but  the  hills 
are  not  distant.  Within  125  feet  of  the  ancient  oak  referred  to» 
two  fine  cool  springs  pour  out  their  limpid  waters,  while  there 
are  several  others  in  that  vicinity,  making  it  an  unusual  and 
pleasant  place  for  camping. 

The  land  owned  by  Mr.  Jarratt,  with  three  adjoining 
sections,  was  reserved  by  the  Chickasaw  Indians  after  most  of 

289 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  tribe  had  left  for  the  West,  on  account  of  the  many  fine  cold 
and  bold  springs  in  the  vicinity  which  form  Spring  Creek,  that 
flows  to  this  day  through  these  sections.  There  is  an  Indian 
mound  in  the  Jarratt  garden,  and  many  flint  and  other  Indian 
implements  found  there  bear  testimony  that  this  place  was 
at  one  time  a  favorite  camping  ground  of  the  Chickasaws  and  no 
doubt  for  other  primitive  men  for  ages  past. 

I  was  never  so  impressed  with  the  value  of  a  bold  cool 
spring  in  a  warm  country  to  traveling  primitive  men,  as  when  I 
visited  the  ruins  of  Delphi  in  Ancient  Greece,  in  the  year  1912. 
Landing  at  Itea  on  the  Corinthian  Gulf,  we  wound  in  and  out  on 
the  side  of  the  mountain  until  we  reached  the  place  where  the 
most  famous  Delphic  Oracle  of  Apollo  uttered  to  many  genera- 
tions of  men  the  world  over  those  oracles  which  were  supposed 
to  issue  from  Divinity. 

Why  was  this  spot  chosen  for  this  most  famous  of  all  oracles? 

By  the  side  of  the  narrow  road  as  it  winds  around  the  base  of 
the  celebrated  mount  Parnassus,  which  here  rises  to  a  great 
height  of  solid  perpendicular  stone,  there  issues  from  its  base  a 
bold  cold  spring  of  clear,  limpid  water,  than  which  there  was 
nothing  more  inviting  and  necessary  to  primitive  traveling  men 
in  a  warm  country.  In  time  it  became  a  camping  ground,  and 
later  was  selected  for  the  site  where  the  priestess  of  Apollo  for 
ages  gave  to  a  listening  world  those  famous  oracles  which  so 
profoundly  affected  the  destiny  of  men  and  of  nations. 

According  to  local  tradition  De  Soto  traveled  in  this  vicinity, 
and  certainly  to  the  sick  and  wounded  of  his  little  army  there 
could  scarcely  have  been  a  better  or  more  restful  spot  for  a 
camp.  Moreover,  according  to  Jarratt,  his  place  was  on  the 
ancient  line  of  travel  from  the  crossing  at  New  Albany  on  toward 
the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  over  the  trail  now  represented  by  the 
modern  Pigeon  Roost  Road. 

I  am  not  unmindful  of  the  supposed  discovery  of  De  Soto, 
relics  all  over  a  vast  scope  of  our  country,  some  of  which  have  so 
little  to  recommend  their  verity  as  to  invite  many  jesting  remarks 

290 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

from  thoughtful  students.  Nevertheless,  owing  to  the  high 
characters  and  intelligence  of  Jarratt  and  Crum,  I  submit  what 
they  say  on  this  most  interesting  subject  to  the  thoughtful 
consideration  of  the  reader. 


291 


CHAPTER  X 

OF  THE  FIRST  TREATIES  BETWEEN  THE  UNITED  STATES 
AND  THE  CHICKASAW  NATION 

The  writing  of  this  chapter  I  would  fain  have  omitted,  but 
this  sketch  would  be  incomplete  without  it. 

I  commence  with  feelings  of  contrary  emotions,  because  the 
treaties  themselves  were  unjust  to  the  Chickasaws,  and  often 
not  creditable  to  the  United  States;  and,  moreover,  while  the 
Indians  kept  the  terms  of  the  treaties,  the  white  man  as  uniformly 
disregarded  them.  And  yet  George  Washington  and  Thomas 
Jefferson,  who  did  more  probably  than  any  two  men  in  laying  the 
sure  foundations  on  which  this  great  republic  has  become  the 
torch  of  liberty  enlightening  the  world,  were  the  two  statesmen 
who  more  than  all  others  combined,  also  laid  down  the  policies 
which  should  govern  the  relations  between  the  United  States  and 
the  North  American  Indians.  But,  as  it  was  recognized  both  by 
Washington  and  Jefferson  that  the  Chickasaws,  on  account  of 
their  high  character  and  fidelity  to  the  American  people,  had  an 
especial  and  peculiar  right  to  invoke  the  solicitude  of  the  United 
States  government,  it  does  seem  to  me  that  they  deserved  more 
consideration  than  has  been  extended  to  them. 

It  may  be  observed  in  limine,  that  there  was  then  a  mere 
federation  of  States  and  even  after  the  adoption  of  the  con- 
stitution of  the  United  States,  the  various  States,  including 
North  Carolina  and  Georgia,  denied  the  right  of  the  national 
authorities  to  treat  with  the  Indians,  insisting  that  this  pre- 
rogative belonged  more  properly  to  the  respective  States,  and 
these  claims  gave  rise  to  much  debate  and  confusion  for  years 
afterwards.  In  addition  numerous  private  individuals  and 
companies  made  purchases,  many  of  them  tainted  with  fraud, 

292 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

from  various  chiefs  representing  themselves,  or  in  some  instances 
pretending  to  represent  their  tribes,  and  this  became  a  fruitful 
source  of  discussion  in  and  out  of  legislative  halls,  and  in  the  courts. 
Eventually  it  was  correctly  held  that  the  federal  govern- 
ment had  the  exclusive  right  to  make  treaties  with  the  aborigines. 

The  Right  of  Title  by  Discovery  Established— 

But  the  great  question  of  debate  which  lay  behind  these 
questions  was,  whether  any  power  resided  in  the  federal  govern- 
ment, or  that  of  the  States,  to  dispossess  the  Indians,  or  force 
them  against  their  will  to  sell  their  lands  and  remove  to  distant 
and  unknown  lands  and  to  contend  with  the  people  there  found 
in  bloody  conflict,  in  an  endeavor  to  dispossess  them  of  the  land 
where  from  time  immemorial  they  had  lived  and  the  ashes  of 
their  ancestors  reposed. 

The  solution  involved  the  discussion  of  fundamental 
principles  not  only  of  international  law  and  usages  but  the 
abstract  principles  of  right  and  wrong;  and  the  debate  was  long 
continued,  fervid,  and  acrimonious,  the  result  being  that  it  was 
declared  the  Indians  had  no  legal  right  to  the  land  on  which  they 
lived,  though  by  a  divided  court  in  Tennessee,  the  judges  voting 
two  to  one. 

Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  this  determination  that  the 
Indians  had  no  legal  right  to  the  homes  they  had  occupied  and 
enjoyed  for  ages  was  declared  to  be  based  upon  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  who  spoke  as  never  man  spake;  and  who  said, 
"Therefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do 
to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them:  for  this  is  the  law  and  the 
prophets." 

Chief  Justice  Catron,  who  was  afterwards  for  twenty-seven 
years  an  associate  justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
quoted  from  Lord  Coke  as  follows : 

"All  infidels  are,  in  law,  perpetual  enemies,  for  the  law 
presumes  not  that  they  will  be  converted;  that  being  a  remote 

293 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

possibility,  for  between  them,  as  with  the  devils,  whose  subjects 
they  be,  and  the  Christian,  there  is  perpetual  hostility,  and  can 
be  no  peace;  for  the  Apostle  saith  (II  Cor.  6:16)  'And  what 
concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial?  or  what  part  hath  he  that 
believeth  with  an  infidel?'  (Calvin's case,  7  Co.  33:4  Inst.  155.) 
'This,'  adds  Judge  Catron,  'was  the  undoubted  national  law,  in 
the  days  of  Coke  and  of  James  the  first ;  and  disgusted  as  we  may 
be  with  its  bigoted  manner  of  assertion  and  indiscriminate  execu- 
tion, yet  it  continued  to  be  as  much  the  law  at  the  revolution,  as 
that  the  oldest  son  took  the  whole  estate.' " 

Judge  Catron  further  said. 

"The  Pope  claimed  the  right  to  dispose  of  all  countries  pos- 
sessed by  infidels ;  a  right  that  it  would  have  been  deemed  as 
absurd  to  deny  before  and  during  the  fifteenth  century,  as  it 
would  now  be  absurd  to  admit." 

The  Pope,  as  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  and  vicar  and 
representative  of  Jesus  Christ,  was  supposed  to  have  a  right  of 
domain  over  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth.  Alexander  the  sixth 
was  applied  to,  and  granted  in  full  right  to  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella  of  Spain  all  the  countries  inhabited  by  infidels,  which 
they  had  discovered  or  should  discover. 

As  it  was  necessary  to  prevent  this  grant  from  interfering 
with  that  formerly  made  to  Portugal,  he  appointed  that  a  line, 
supposed  to  be  drawn  from  pole  to  pole,  a  hundred  leagues  to  the 
westward  of  the  Azores,  should  serve  as  a  limit  between  them; 
and  in  the  plenitude  of  his  power,  bestowed  all  to  the  east  of 
this  imaginary  line  upon  the  Portuguese,  and  all  west  of  it  upon 
the  Spaniards.  Zeal  for  propagating  the  Christian  faith  was  the 
consideration  employed  by  Ferdinand  in  soliciting  this  bull,  and 
is  mentioned  by  Alexander  as  the  chief  motive  for  issuing  it. 
This  title  was  then  deemed  completely  valid  to  authorize  the 
monarchs  of  Spain  to  extend  their  discoveries,  and  to  establish 
their  dominion  over  such  portion  of  the  globe. 

The  same  motive  that  impelled  the  Popes,  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  to  send  forth  the  Portuguese  and  Spaniards  to  conquer, 

294 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

equally  influenced  the  English  in  a  more  enlightened  age.  Calvert, 
the  governor  of  Maryland,  sent  out  by  Lord  Baltimore,  in  1632, 
to  form  a  colony  as  soon  as  he  landed  on  the  shore,  took  posses- 
sion of  the  country,  "for  our  Savior,  and  for  our  sovereign  lord, 
the  king  of  England."  So  when  the  first  charter  of  Carolina  was 
granted  by  Charles  the  second,  the  motive  assigned  was  to  propa- 
gate the  blessings  of  religion  and  the  civilizing  of  a  barbarous  land. 
Such  men  as  Lords  Clarendon  and   Berkley  aver, 

"that  being  excited  with  a  laudable  and  pious  zeal  for  the 
propagation  of  the  gospel,  they  desire  a  certain  country  in  the 
parts  of  America,  not  yet  cultivated  and  planted,  and  only  in- 
habited by  some  barbarous  people,  who  had  no  knowledge  of 
God." 

The  conclusion  reached  is  thus  stated  by  Judge  Catron 
(8  Yerger,  p.  277), 

"We  maintain  that  the  principle  declared  in  the  fifteenth 
century  as  the  law  of  Christendom,  that  discovery  gave  title 
to  assume  sovereignty  over,  and  to  govern  the  unconverted 
natives  of  Africa,  Asia,  and  North  and  South  America,  has  been 
recognized  as  a  part  of  the  national  law,  for  nearly  four  centuries, 
and  that  it  is  now  so  recognized  by  every  Christian  power,  in 
its  political  department." 

On  the  next  page  it  was  added : 

"Refined  sensibility  and  elevated  philanthropy  may  hold 
what  it  will,  the  truth  is,  neither  our  theory  or  practice  has  ever 
allowed  to  the  Indian  any  political  right  extending  beyond  our 
pleasure.  The  principle,  in  its  application,  is  general,  extending  to 
all  the  Indian  nations  and  tribes  on  this  continent,  to  which  the 
Cherokees  form  no  exception.  Theirs  is  not  a  case  of  conscience 
before  this  court,  but  a  case  of  law!  Let  it  be  noted  that  though 
the  right  to  despoil  the  Indians  of  their  homes  was  made  to 
depend  on  the  teachings  of  Jesus,  still  in  the  next  breath  it  is 
said  in  effect  that  this  is  done  in  defense  of  the  plain  dictates 
of  conscience." 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

As  pointed  out  in  the  first  chapter,  the  result  reached  by  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court  (8  Wheaton,  543)  was  practically 
the  same  as  that  reached  in  Tennessee,  though  the  language  used 
is  more  guarded  than  that  of  Catron,  Chief  Justice  Marshall 
saying : 

"In  the  establishment  of  these  relations  the  rights  of  the 
original  inhabitants  were  in  no  instance  entirely  disregarded,  but 
were  necessarily,  to  a  considerable  extent,  impaired.  They  were 
admitted  to  be  rightful  occupants  of  the  soil,  with  a  legal  as  well 
as  a  just  claim  to  retain  possession  of  it  and  to  use  it  according 
to  their  own  discretion ;  but  their  rights  to  complete  sovereignty, 
as  independent  nations,  were  necessarily  diminished,  and  their 
power  to  dispose  of  the  soil  at  their  own  will,  to  whomsoever  they 
pleased,  was  denied  by  the  original  fundamental  principle  that 
discovery  gave  exclusive  title  to  those  who  made  it." 

In  reading  these  decisions  we  are  forcibly  reminded  of  the 
mentality  of  a  medieval  robber  baron,  and  of  the  medieval  in- 
tolerance of  one  Christian  sect  against  the  other,  which  hesitated 
not  to  lead  a  victim  to  the  stake,  simply  because  of  a  difference 
in  the  interpretation  of  the  words  of  Jesus.  Nay,  more,  men  were 
then  burned  at  the  stake  simply  because  of  their  opinions  with 
respect  to  the  character  and  revolutions  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 
Thus,  Giardino  Bruno  was  burned  at  the  stake  at  Rome  in  1600, 
merely  because  he  taught  that  the  planet  on  which  we  live  is 
small  as  compared  with  other  members  of  the  solar  system,  and 
that  daily  it  revolves  on  its  axis.  But  posterity  eventually, 
though  tardily,  vindicated  the  nobility  and  heroism  of  his 
character,  and  in  1903  it  was  my  privilege  to  look  with  admiration 
upon  his  magnificent  bronze  statue,  erected  upon  the  spot  in 
the  market  place  at  Rome  where  he  had  been  burned  three 
hundred  and  three  years  before  that  time. 

The  Indians  Were  Not  Without  Able  White  Defenders- 
It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  Indians  were  without 
white  men  of  high  standing  and  great  ability  to  defend  their 

296 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

cause;  far  from  it.  The  gifted  William  Wirt  with  marked  ability 
and  untiring  zeal  represented  them  before  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Sergeant.  The  great 
Daniel  Webster  and  other  men  of  high  standing  recommended 
the  Cherokee  Indians  to  employ  Mr.  Wirt,  who  had  been  the 
attorney-general  of  the  United  States,  and  was  at  once  one  of 
the  greatest  orators  and  writers,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most 
learned  lawyers,  of  that  or  any  other  day.  Mr.  Wirt,  appreciating 
that  his  employment,  although  unsolicited,  would  bring  to  him 
unmerited  criticism  and  misrepresentation,  as  it  did,  first  cor- 
responded with  Mr.  Madison,  Chancellor  Kent,  and  the  most 
distinguished  lawyers  and  statesmen  of  that  day,  as  to  the  pro- 
priety of  entering  into  the  cause,  its  merits,  etc;  with  the  result 
that  being  convinced  that  a  great  wrong  had  been  visited  on  the 
Indians,  he  entered  the  lists  in  their  interest,  and  threw  all  of  his 
genius  and  soul  into  the  cause,  known  as  the  Cherokee  Nation  vs. 
the  State  of  Georgia,  5  Peters,  p.  1. 

The  bill  as  prepared  by  him  set  forth  that  from  time  im- 
memorial the  Cherokee  nation  had  composed  a  sovereign  and 
independent  state,  and  in  that  character  had  been  repeatedly 
recognized,  and  still  stood  recognized  by  the  United  States  in 
the  various  treaties  subsisting  between  them.  That  the  Chero- 
kees  were  the  occupants  and  owners  of  the  territory  in  which 
they  resided  before  the  first  approach  of  the  white  men  of  Europe 
to  the  Western  Continent,  "deriving  their  title  from  the  Great 
Spirit,  who  is  the  common  father  of  the  human  family,  and  to 
whom  the  whole  earth  belongs."  That  the  Cherokee  nation 
have  been  and  were  the  sole  and  exclusive  masters  of  this  ter- 
ritory, governed  by  their  own  laws,  usages,  and  customs. 

The  bill  then  averred  that  George  the  second,  monarch  of 
several  islands  on  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Atlantic,  had  pre- 
sumed to  issue  a  charter  to  certain  persons  for  a  part  of  the  coun- 
try in  America,  lying  between  the  Savannah  and  Altamaha 
Rivers.  That  the  foundation  of  this  charter  is  asserted  to  be  the 
right  of  discovery  to  the  territory  granted,  simply  because  a 

297 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ship,  manned  by  the  subjects,  about  two  centuries  and  a  half 
before,  sailed  along  the  coast  of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  from 
the  fifty-sixth  to  the  thirty-eighth  degree  of  north  latitude,  and 
looked  upon  the  face  of  that  coast,  without  even  landing  on  any 
part  of  it. 

This  right  of  discovery,  as  claimed  to  exist  among  European 
nations,  in  so  far  as  it  affected  the  rights  of  the  Indians  was  denied, 
to  which  principle  the  Indians  had  never  assented,  and  which 
they  denied  to  be  a  principle  of  the  natural  laws  of  nations  or 
obligatory  on  them. 

The  bill  was  very  lengthy,  but  I  think  the  foregoing  will 
serve  to  show  the  main  issue  in  plain  language,  the  design  being 
to  challenge  the  principle  claimed  that  England  had  the  title  to 
that  part  of  the  country  referred  to,  because  of  its  discovery  as 
set  forth,  and  was  authorized  by  international  law  to  grant  the 
same  to  whomsoever  she  pleased,  regardless  of  the  rights  of  the 
Indians. 

There  was  no  appearance  whatever  for  the  state  of  Georgia, 
that  state  occupying  a  moody  and  menacing  attitude,  evidently 
prepared  to  challenge  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court  in  case  its 
decision  was  favorable  to  the  Indians.  Jackson  was  president 
and  it  was  well  known  that  he  was  hostile  to  the  purposes  of  the 
bill. 

The  case  was  elaborately  argued  and  briefed  both  by  Mr. 
Sergeant  and  Mr.  Wirt;  and  after  due  consideration  Chief 
Justice  Marshall  delivered  the  opinion  of  the  majority  of  the 
court,  dismissing  the  bill  and  holding  that  the  Cherokees  were 
not  in  law  a  nation,  and  consequently  not  entitled  to  maintain 
the  suit,  and  upholding  the  principle  of  law  usually  denominated 
title  by  original  discovery. 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  Mr.  Justice  Thompson  delivered  an 
elaborate  dissenting  opinion  in  favor  of  the  Indians,  in  which 
Judge  Story  concurred,  he  being  then  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished jurists  of  the  day,  and  moreover  the  author  of  many  law 
books,    among    them    being    Story's  Equity  Jurisprudence  new 

298 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

editions  of  which  with  elaborate  notes  continue  to  be  brought 
out  even  to  this  day,  it  being  a  standard  authority. 

Spencer  Jarnagin,  a  lawyer  of  great  ability,  then  a  United 
States  Senator  from  Tennessee  and  a  Memphian,  represented 
the  Cherokee  nation  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Tennessee,  and 
in  his  efforts  in  their  behalf  left  no  stone  unturned. 

And,  likewise,  there  were  able  and  distinguished  men  in  and 
out  of  Congress  who  defended  the  rights  of  the  aborigines;  and 
while  the  result  was  as  indicated  above,  still  their  labors  had  a 
wholesome  effect  upon  public  opinion,  which  served  to  aid  men 
like  Washington  and  Jefferson  to  mete  out  to  the  Indians  such 
justice  as  they  received. 

On  the  other  hand  there  were  the  unreasoning  many  who 
regarded  a  dead  Indian  as  the  only  good  Indian,  and  acted  ac- 
cordingly, and  they  found  advocates  in  men  occupying  high 
places.  Thus  when  it  was  ascertained  that  in  violation  of  the 
treaty  with  the  Cherokees  white  settlers  were  on  Cherokee 
property,  and  the  president  ordered  their  removal  on  August  19, 
1797,  John  Sevier  sent  out  a  circular  letter  addressed  to  the 
inhabitants  settled  on  the  Cherokee  lands,  expressing  his  sympa- 
thy, saying  that  it  was  painful 

"to  hear  the  cries  of  the  people  of  this  state  against  a  partial 
conduct  in  favor  of  a  savage  tribe  that  can  only  be  noticed  for 
their  atrocious  murders,  robberies,  and  desolate  wantonness  to 
commit  every  diabolical  crime  that  could  possibly  suggest 
itself  to  a  savage  invention." 

Notwithstanding  this  indictment  that  the  Cherokees  could 
only  be  noticed  for  the  diabolical  crimes  mentioned,  there  was 
then  living  Sequoyah,  a  Cherokee,  born  on  what  is  now  Tennessee 
soil,  who  was  soon  to  give  to  the  world  the  Cherokee  syllabic 
alphabet,  the  most  perfect  in  the  history  of  the  world,  which 
made  his  name  immortal,  placed  him  among  the  intellectual 
aristocracy  of  the  world,  and  his  bronze  statue  is  now  in  the 
statuary  hall  in  the  capitol  at  Washington,  presented  to  the 

299 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

United  States  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  though  that  of  General 
Sevier  is  not  found  there  as  yet. 

In  the  next  chapter  will  be  found  a  short  sketch  of  this 
remarkable  man. 

The  words  and  attitude  of  Sevier  may  be  taken  as  typical  of 
the  average  frontier  politician,  and  the  influence  thus  exerted  on 
public  opinion  can  well  be  imagined.  It  was  difficult  for  those 
who  were  entrusted  with  public  office  to  administer  Indian  treaty 
rights  in  their  purity  and  integrity. 

If  we  turn  to  the  acts  in  legislative  halls,  the  picture  is  in  no 
wise  different  from  the  attitude  taken  by  the  average  politician  of 
that  day;  as  witness  the  treatment  of  Georgia  to  the  Cherokees 
and  Creeks.  We  recall  that  the  great  philanthropist  James 
Oglethorpe  obtained  permission  from  King  George  to  found  a 
colony  in  the  Southern  wilderness;  and  the  doors  of  the  prisons 
were  opened  so  that  men  who  were  there  imprisoned  under 
English  law  for  no  other  reason  than  that  they  were  not  able  to 
pay  their  debts  might  be  given  in  the  new  world  another  chance 
in  life;  and  Oglethorpe  brought  with  him  John  and  Charles 
Wesley  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Indians. 

The  Indians  met  Oglethorpe  in  the  noble  spirit  which  in- 
spired him,  and  granted  him  lands  and  all  he  desired  of  them;  and 
we  also  recall  that  the  great  Indian  chief  Tomochichi  was  lionized, 
taken  to  England  and  presented  to  the  king  and  that  then, 
while  the  white  man  was  weak  and  the  red  man  strong,  nothing 
was  too  good  for  the  Indian. 

Now,  look  at  the  reverse  side  of  the  picture  not  quite  one 
hundred  years  afterwards,  when  the  white  man  was  strong  and 
the  red  man  was  weak. 

On  p.  139  Foster  gives  an  act  of  Georgia  passed  December  20, 
1829,  as  follows: 

"It  is  hereby  ordained  that  all  the  laws  of  Georgia  are  ex- 
tended over  the  Cherokee  country.  That  after  the  first  day  of 
June,  1830,  all  Indians  then  at  that  time  residing  in  said  territory 

300 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

shall  be  liable  to  such  laws  and  regulations  as  the  legislature  may 
hereafter  prescribe.  That  all  laws,  usages,  and  customs  made 
and  established  and  enforced  in  said  territory,  by  said  Cherokee 
Indians,  be,  and  the  same  are  hereby,  on  and  after  the  1st  day 
of  June,  1830,  declared  null  and  void;  and  no  Indian,  or  descend- 
ants of  an  Indian,  residing  within  the  Creek  or  Cherokee  nations 
of  Indians  shall  be  deemed  a  competent  witness  or  party  to  any 
suit  in  any  court  where  a  white  man  is  a  defendant.1' 

"Such,"  says  Drake,  "is  a  specimen  of  the  laws  framed  to 
throw  the  Indians  into  entire  confusion,  that  they  might  be  more 
easily  overcome,  destroyed,  or  forced  from  the  land  of  their 
nativity." 

First  or  Unofficial  Chickasaw  Treaty— 

That  the  Chickasaws  entered  into  a  treaty  either  with  the 
State  of  Virginia  or  North  Carolina,  and  in  all  probability  with 
the  latter,  either  in  1782  or  1783,  appears  to  be  established  be- 
yond doubt,  but  it  was  never  reported  to  Congress  and  never 
preserved;  hence  there  have  been  considerable  conjectures  in 
reference  thereto.  Ramsay  (p.  489),  usually  a  good  authority, 
says  that  he  had  been  entirely  unable  to  ascertain  where  or  when 
this  treaty  was  held,  the  boundaries  agreed  upon,  etc.;  though 
Putnam  says  (p.  167)  it  was  dated  in  June,  1783,  while  Governor 
Blount  in  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  January  14,  1793, 
states  that  it  was  concluded  in  1782. 

This  treaty  is  usually  called  the  Donelson  and  Martin 
treaty,  and  was  concluded  where  Nashville  now  stands,  and 
probably  at  the  residence  of  James  Robertson. 

This  treaty  would  have  been  lost  sight  of  entirely,  except 
for  the  fact  that  about  1793  the  Cherokees  set  up  some  claim  to 
what  was  called  the  Cumberland  lands;  but  it  was  pointed  out 
that  these  lands  formerly  belonged  to  the  Chickasaws  and  were 
by  them  ceded  under  the  Donelson  and  Martin  treaty. 

The  Shawnees  at  a  remote  past  day  had  come  from  the  North 
and  settled  about  where  Nashville  now  is,  and  thus  came  in 

301 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

contact  with  the  Chickasaws  and  Cherokees,  resulting  in  many 
conflicts.  Finally  the  Chickasaws,  in  what  is  termed  the  naval 
or  "canoe  fight,"  upon  the  waters  of  the  Cumberland,  or,  as  it 
was  then  called,  the  Shawnee  River,  defeated  the  Shawnees  and 
swept  them  north  of  the  Ohio,  and  thus  became  the  undisputed 
masters  of  the  Cumberland  lands. 

Paschal  says  (pp.  33,  34)  that,  according  to  tradition,  this 
took  place  about  one  hundred  years  prior  to  the  Watauga  set- 
tlement; that  the  Shawnees  joined  the  Indians  in  the  North 
known  as  the  Six  Nations,  but  occasionally  made  incursions  into 
the  lands  from  which  they  had  been  driven  for  purposes  of  war 
and  hunting. 

Lenoir  (p.  28)  reminds  us  that  Ramsey  said,  "This  defeat  of 
the  Cherokees  probably  saved  the  Watauga  settlement,"  the 
most  famous  settlement  not  only  in  Tennessee  but  in  all 
America. 

Speaking  of  the  celebrated  Watauga  compact,  Henderson 
(p.  198)  likewise  says, 

"The  government  then  established  was  the  first  free  and 
independent  government,  democratic  in  spirit,  representative  in 
form,  ever  organized  upon  the  American  continent." 

Haywood  in  his  Natural  and  Aboriginal  History  of  Tennessee, 
(p.  240),  says  that  after  the  Chickasaws  had  helped  the 
Cherokees  to  drive  out  the  Shawnees,  the  Cherokees  then  turned 
upon  the  Chickasaws,  and  adds: 

"They  met  the  thunderbolts  of  war  at  the  Chickasaw 
Old  Fields,  shortly  before  the  year  1769,  and  gave  them  a  most 
signal  overthrow,  compelling  them  to  retreat  by  the  way  of 
the  Cumberland  River  and  the  Caney  Fork,  where,  as  they 
marched,  they  enclosed  themselves  in  forts  as  a  safeguard  against 
the  assaults  of  their  incensed  enemy,  by  practicing  upon  whom 
they  expected  to  keep  alive  their  own  military  spirit." 

Gatschet    (p.  92)    says    of    the    Chickasaws: 

302 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

They  were  constantly  engaged  in  quarrels  and  broils  with 
all  their  Indian  neighbors;  sometimes  with  the  cognate  Cha'tah 
and  with  the  Creeks,  at  other  times  with  the  Cheroki,  Illinois, 
Kickapu,  Shawano,  Tonica,  Mobilians,  Osage,  and  Arkansas 
(Kapaha)  Indians.  In  1732  they  cut  to  pieces  a  war  party  of 
the  Iroquois  invading  their  territory,  but  in  1748  co-operated 
against  the   French   with    that   confederacy." 

According  to  Oliver  Day  Street  of  Guntersville,  Alabama 
(Moore,  p.  172),  the  Shawnees  occupied  the  region  of  the  Great 
Bend  of  the  Tennessee  River  in  northern  Alabama,  between 
1660  and  1 72 1,  but  Dr.  John  R.  Swanton  has  expressed  the  opin- 
ion that  this  occupancy  of  that  region  was  not  of  long  duration. 

By  a  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  the  Shawnees, 
entered  into  January  31,  1786,  the  country  assigned  to  them  lay 
on  the  waters  of  the  Miami  and  Wabash  Rivers. 

The  Cherokees  were  crowding  down  on  the  settlers  of  the 
Cumberland  in  a  menacing  manner,  threatening  their  very  ex- 
istence, and  in  the  letter  of  Governor  Blount  above  mentioned, 
he  was  combating  the  claim  of  the  Cherokees,  saying  that  those 
lands  had  belonged  to  the  Chickasaws  before  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  that  a  large  part  of  that  nation  had  lived  north  of  the 
Tennessee,  and  claimed  and  owned  the  Cumberland  country,  a 
fact  that  was  acknowledged  by  the  Cherokees  in  the  conference 
at  Nashville  in  1792.  In  this  letter  Blount  gave  six  reasons  for 
his  position,  the  last  one  being  in  these  words: 

"6th.  A  Cherokee  chief,  at  the  treaty  of  Long  Island  of 
Holston,  expressed  himself  in  the  following  words:  'You, 
Carolina  Dick  (Colonel  Richard  Henderson),  have  deceived  your 
people;  you  told  them  we  sold  you  the  Cumberland  lands;  we 
only  sold  you  our  claims  they  belong  to  our  brothers,  the  Chick- 
asaws, as  far  as  the  headwaters  of  Duck  and  Elk  Rivers.' 

"For  this  quotation  I  am  indebted  to  Colonel  Tatham,  of 
Richmond,  who  recorded  the  proceedings  of  the  treaty.  It  will 
be  observed  that  the  line  here  described  well  agrees  with  that 
described  as  bounding  the  claim  of  the  Chickasaws,  by  the 
mountain  leader  (Piomingo)  at  the  conference  at  Nashville." 

303 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  making  this  quotation  it  is  not  my  intention  to  cast  the 
least  reflection  upon  Colonel  Henderson,  who  was  a  man  of  honor 
and  distinction,  and  one  of  the  ancestors  of  our  fellow  citizen 
General  Arthur  R.  Taylor.  The  extract  was  used  by  Governor 
Blount  to  show  the  inconsistency  of  the  last  pretended  claims  of 
the  Cherokees  to  the  Cumberland  lands;  for  the  language  used 
by  the  wily  Cherokee  chief  shows  that  he  was  quite  capable 
of  drawing  a  very  fine,  if  not  deceptive,  distinction,  its  purpose 
doubtless  being  to  conceal  his  own  duplicity. 

I  have  seen  it  stated  by  good  writers  that  west  Tennessee 
and  western  Kentucky  were  not  owned  by  any  tribe  of  Indians ; 
but  this  is  an  entire  misapprehension,  as  indicated  above  and 
shown  in  the  succeeding  chapter  (XI),  which  contains  a  sketch 
of  Piomingo,  and  which  should  be  read  in  connection  with  this 
chapter  as  showing  the  relations  of  the  United  States  towards 
the  Chickasaws  after  American  independence.  Moreover,  Major 
Robert  Rogers  of  the  English  army,  in  his  travels  through 
America,  the  date  not  given,  but  prior  to  1765,  as  we  learn  he 
borrowed  the  money  to  have  his  journal  published  that  year,  has 
this  to  say : 

"Below  the  river  Ohio,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi, 
down  to  its  mouth,  the  country  is  owned  and  inhabited  by  the 
Chickasaws  for  near  two  hundred  miles  to  the  eastward.  This 
nation  can  raise  10,000  fighting  men.  The  soil  of  their  country  is 
sandy,  and  not  so  good  as  that  above  described;  however, it 
produces  rice  and  indigo  to  good  perfection,  of  which  the  French 
have  made  sufficient  proof. 

"The  Chicketaws  generally  live  in  large  towns;  their  chief 
settlements  are  not  far  from  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  on  the  streams 
that  flow  into  it  from  the  east. 

"Their  houses  are  not  very  elegant;  however,  they  have  the 
art  of  making  them  tight,  which  necessity  obliges  them  to  do, 
to  secure  themselves  against  the  flies,  which  are  here  very  trouble- 
some at  some  seasons  of  the  year.  They  keep  cows,  hogs,  and 
horses,  the  latter  in  great  abundance.  They  raise  plenty  of  corn, 
beans,  potatoes,  etc.,  but  have  very  little  game,  except  deer. 

304 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"The  Tanesee  is  wholly  uninhabited  below  the  mountains 
to  where  it  joins  the  Ohio;  but  the  country  upon  it  is  claimed  by 
the  Chickasaws,  a  brave,  warlike  people,  who  have  but  one  town, 
situated  on  a  plain  by  a  small  creek  that  rises  about  thirty  miles 
south  of  the  Tanesee. 

"Their  town  is  picqueted  in,  and  fortified  with  a  fort.  They 
build  their  houses  much  in  the  same  form  as  the  Chicketaws. 
They  raise  corn  in  great  abundance,  and  have  large  droves  of 
horses,  some  black  cattle,  and  swine.  They  can  raise  about  five 
hundred  fighting  men. 

"The  Chicketaws,  their  neighbors,  are  not  at  all  troubled 
with  a  spirit  of  jealousy,  and  say  it  bemeans  a  man  to  suspect  a 
woman's  chastity.  They  are  tall,  well  shaped,  and  handsome 
featured,  especially  their  women,  far  exceeding  in  beauty  any 
other  nation  to  the  southward." 

I  have  thus  quoted  at  large  from  Rogers,  because  while  he 
was  under  the  impression  that  what  he  calls  the  Chicketaws  were 
a  different  people  from  the  Chicktaws,  and  while  his  estimate  of 
the  number  of  the  former  and  the  extent  of  their  country  was 
doubtless  too  great,  still  it  is  evident  from  the  characteristics 
given  and  the  descriptions  of  their  country  that  they  were  but 
different  branches  of  the  Chickasaw  nation,  one  of  which  was 
then  firmly  seated  on  the  Tennessee  River  not  far  from  the  Ohio. 

Treaties  Between  the  Chickasaws  and  the  United  States- 
It  appears  that  the  United  States,  having  determined  to 
enter  into  treaties  with  various  Indian  nations,  selected  com- 
missioners for  the  purpose  of  negotiating  the  same,  directing 
them  to  first  ascertain,  as  near  as  possible,  the  gun  men,  that  is, 
the  men  able  to  bear  arms,  among  the  Southwest  Indians. 

On  page  39  of  Indian  Affairs  in  a  letter  dated  Hopewell  on 
the  Keowee,  2nd  of  December,  1785,  of  Benjamin  Hawkins, 
Andrew  Pickens,  Joseph  Martin,  and  Lach'n  Mcintosh,  to  his 
Excellency  Richard  Henry  Lee,  Esquire,  President  of  Congress, 
they  make  their  estimate  of  the  gun  men  of  the  Southern  Indians, 
as  follows : 

305 


/ 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Cherokee  nation,  2,000;  Upper  and  Lower  Creek  nation, 
5,400;  Chockataws,  6,000;  Chickasaws,  800;  making  a  total  of 
14,200  warriors. 

This  was  in  all  probability  a  fair  estimate,  though,  of 
course,  it  is  impossible  to  verify  its  accuracy. 


In  the  succeeding  chapter  (XI)  it  is  shown  that  General 
James  Robertson,  the  father  and  founder  of  Nashville,  was  an 
ardent  friend  of  the  Chickasaws;  that  Putman  says  Piomingo, 
then  the  great  Chickasaw  chief,  loved  General  Robertson  as  he 
loved  no  other  white  man,  and  that  General  Robertson  in- 
fluenced Piomingo  to  go  to  the  far  distant  Hopewell  on  the 
Keowee,  in  the  present  State  of  South  Carolina,  there  to  con- 
clude a  treaty  between  the  Chickasaws  and  the  United  States. 

This  was  the  first  treaty  of  its  kind  between  the  contracting 
parties. 

I  will  take  up  these  various  treaties,  beginning  with  the  first, 
concluded  in  1786,  and  ending  with  those  of  1832  and  1834, 
which,  for  want  of  better  terminology,  I  call  "the  heart-breaking 
treaties" ;  for  under  these  the  Chickasaws  were  forced  to  leave  the 
home  De  Soto  found  them  in  two  hundred  and  ninety  years 
before,  and  which  they  had  spilt  their  life-blood  for  ages  to 
defend,  and  to  seek  a  home  in  the  far  West,  where  they  were  to 
enter  a  deadly  conflict  with  the  people  already  occupying  that 
country. 

The  Treaty  of  1786— 

The  first  treaty  between  the  Chickasaw  Indians  and  the 
United  States  was  concluded  January  10,  1786,  and  begins  as 
follows : 

Articles  of  a  Treaty— 

"Concluded  at  Hopewell  on  the  Keowee,  near  Seneca  Old 
Town,  between  Benjamin  Hawkins,  Andrew  Pickens,  and  Joseph 

306 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Martin,  Commissioners  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  of  the  one  part;  and  Piomingo,  Head  Warrior  and  First 
Minister  of  the  Chickasaw  nation;  Mingatushka,  one  of  the 
leading  chiefs;  and  Latopoia,  first  beloved  man  of  the  said 
nation,  Commissioners  Plenipotentiary  of  all  the  Chickasaws, 
of  the  other  part." 

First,  the  United  States  received  the  Chickasaw  nation  into 
their  favor  and  protection,  and  the  Chickasaws  agreed  to  restore 
any  persons  or  property  within  their  boundaries  and  acknowl- 
edged the  protection  of  the  United  States. 

The  third  article  sets  forth  the  boundaries  of  the  Chickasaw 
country  substantially  as  stated,  and  by  Piomingo  in  the  next 
chapter  (XI). 

The  fourth  article  is  in  these  words: 

"If  any  citizen  of  the  United  States,  or  other  person  not 
being  an  Indian,  shall  attempt  to  settle  on  any  of  the  lands 
hereby  allotted  to  the  Chickasaws  to  live  and  hunt  on,  such 
persons  shall  forfeit  the  protection  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  and  the  Chickasaws  may  punish  him  or  not  as  they 
please." 

Here  we  see  that,  while  the  United  States  government  was 
weak  and  the  Indian  strong,  the  United  States  government  was 
willing  to  withdraw  its  protection  from  any  person  who  settled 
in  the  Indian  country,  and  in  addition,  gave  the  Chickasaws  the 
right  to  punish  such  person  as  the  nation  saw  proper. 

As  we  proceed  with  a  review  of  these  treaties,  it  will  be  seen 
how  arrogant  became  the  white  man;  how  he  trampled  his  own 
solemn  treaties  under  foot,  and  disregarded  every  right  which  he 
had  acknowledged  belonged  to  the  Indian. 

The  eleventh  article  is  in  these  words: 

"The  hatchet  shall  be  forever  buried,  and  the  peace  given 
by  the  United  States  of  America  and  friendship  re-established 
between  the  said  States  on  the  one  part,  and  the  Chickasaw 
nation  on  the  other  part,  shall  be  universal ;  and  the  contracting 

307 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

parties  shall  use  their  utmost  endeavors  to  maintain  the  peace 
given  as  aforesaid,  and  friendship  re-established." 

On  behalf  of  the  Indians  the  treaty  was  signed  by  Piomingo, 
Mingatushka,  and  Latopoia,  by  making  their  marks. 

The  Treaty  of  1801— 

The  next  treaty  is  dated  October  24,  1801,  and  granted  to 
the  United  States  the  right  to  make  a  road  from  what  is  now 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  to  Natchez,  Mississippi,  the  first  article 
being  in  these  words: 

"The  Mingco,  principal  men,  and  warriors  of  the  Chickasaw 
nation  of  Indians,  give  leave  and  permission  to  the  President  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  to  lay  out,  open,  and  make  a  con- 
venient wagon  road  through  their  land  between  the  settlements  of 
Mero  District  in  the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  those  of  Natchez  in  the 
Mississippi  Territory,  in  such  way  and  manner  as  he  may  deem 
proper;  and  the  same  shall  be  a  highway  for  the  United  States  and 
the  Chickasaws.  The  Chickasaws  shall  appoint  two  discreet 
men  to  serve  as  assistants,  guides,  or  pilots,  during  the  time  of 
laying  out  and  opening  the  road,  under  the  direction  of  the 
officer  charged  with  that  duty,  who  shall  have  a  reasonable 
compensation  for  their  services;  provided  always,  that  the 
necessary  ferries  over  the  water  courses  crossed  by  the  said  road  shall 
be  held  and  deemed  to  be  the  property  of  the  Chickasaw  nation . 

"Art.  II.  The  commissioners  of  the  United  States  give  to 
the  Mingco  of  the  Chickasaws  and  the  deputation  of  that  nation 
goods  to  the  value  of  seven  hundred  dollars,  to  compensate  him 
and  them  and  their  attendants  for  the  expense  and  inconvenience 
they  may  have  sustained  by  their  respectful  and  friendly  at- 
tention to  the  president  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  to 
the  request  made  to  them  in  his  name  to  permit  the  opening  of 
the  road.  And  as  the  persons,  towns,  villages,  lands,  hunting 
grounds,  and  other  rights  and  property  of  the  Chickasaws,  as 
set  forth  in  the  treaties  or  stipulations  heretofore  entered  into 
between  the  contracting  parties,  more  especially  in  and  by  a 
certificate  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
under  their  seal  of  the  first  of  July,  1794,  are  in  the  peace  and 
under  the  protection  of  the  United  States,  the  commissioners  of 

308 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  United  States  do  hereby  further  agree  that  the  president  of 
the  United  States  of  America  shall  take  such  measure  from  time  to 
time,  as  he  may  deem  proper,  to  assist  the  Chickasaws  to  pre- 
serve entire  all  their  rights  against  the  encroachments  of  unjust 
neighbors,  of  which  he  shall  be  the  judge,  and  also  to  preserve 
and  perpetuate  friendship  and  brotherhood  between  the  white 
people  and  the  Chickasaws." 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  Chickasaws  were  paid  not  a  penny 
for  this  valuable  grant,  but  that  $700  was  given  to  the  Mingco 
and  deputation  of  that  nation  to  compensate  them  for  the 
expense  of  their  attendance  and  the  inconvenience  they  had 
sustained  by  their  respectful  and  friendly  attention  to  the 
president  of  the  United  States.  Attention  further  on  will  be 
called  to  these  gratuities  given  the  chiefs. 

While  the  Chickasaws  thus  gave  away  this  right  of  way, 
they,  of  course,  realized  that  the  worst  feature  of  the  treaty  was 
that  it  necessarily  opened  up  their  country  to  be  overrun  by  all 
classes  of  white  men,  good  and  bad;  and  so  they  endeavored  by 
the  wording  of  the  second  article,  weak  though  it  was,  to  renew 
and  ratify  the  terms  of  the  first  treaty,  which  absolutely  forbids 
intruders  to  come  into  their  country.  It  will  be  seen  that  they 
refer  to  the  certificate  given  by  the  president,  of  date  July  1, 
1794.  The  date  should  have  been  July  21  instead  of  July  1,  and 
had  reference  to  a  certificate  given  personally  to  Piomingo  by 
President  Washington,  on  July  21,  1794,  confirming  to  the 
Chickasaws  the  boundaries  of  their  lands,  as  given  by  Piomingo 
at  the  conference  at  Nashville  in  1792,  referred  to  in  the  succeed- 
ing chapter. 

The  Treaty  of  1805— 

The  third  treaty  was  executed  July  23,  1805,  and  begins 
thus: 

"Articles  of  arrangement  made  and  concluded  in  the  Chick- 
asaw country  between  James  Robertson  and  Silas  Dinsmoor, 
commissioners  of  the  United  States,  of  the  one  part,  and  the 

309 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Mingco  chiefs  and  warriors  of  the  Chickasaw  nation  of  Indians 
on  the  other  part." 

The  first  and  second  articles  are  in  these  words: 

"Art.  I.  Whereas  the  Chickasaw  nation  of  Indians  have 
been  for  some  time  embarrassed  by  heavy  debts,  due  to  their 
merchants  and  traders,  and  being  destitute  of  funds  to  effect 
important  improvements  in  their  country,  they  have  agreed  and 
do  hereby  agree  to  cede  to  the  United  States,  and  forever,  quit 
claim  to  the  tract  of  country  included  within  the  following 
bounds,  to-wit: 

"Beginning  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ohio,  at  the  point  where 
the  present  Indian  boundary  adjoins  the  same,  thence  down  the 
left  bank  of  Ohio  to  the  Tennessee  River,  thence  up  the  main 
channel  of  the  Tennessee  River  to  the  mouth  of  Duck  River; 
thence  up  the  left  bank  of  Duck  River  to  the  Columbian  highway 
or  road  leading  from  Nashville  to  Natchez,  thence  along  the  said 
road  to  the  ridge  dividing  the  waters  running  into  Duck  River 
from  those  running  into  Buffaloe  River,  thence  eastwardly 
along  the  said  ridge  to  the  great  ridge  dividing  the  waters  run- 
ning into  the  main  Tennessee  River  from  those  running  into 
Buffaloe  River  near  the  main  source  of  the  Buffaloe  River, 
thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  great  Tennessee  River  near  the 
Chickasaw  Old  Fields  or  eastern  point  of  the  Chickasaw  claim 
on  the  river;  thence  northwardly  to  the  great  ridge  dividing  the 
waters  running  into  the  Tennessee  from  those  running  into 
Cumberland  River,  so  as  to  include  all  the  waters  running  into 
Elk  River,  thence  along  the  top  of  the  said  great  ridge  to  the 
place  of  beginning;  reserving  a  tract  of  one  mile  square  adjoining 
to  and  below  the  mouth  of  Duck  River  on  the  Tennessee,  for 
the  use  of  the  chief  O'Koy  or  Tishumastubbee. 

"Art.  II.  The  United  States  on  their  part,  and  in  con- 
sideration of  the  above  cession,  agree  to  make  the  following 
payments,  to-wit:  Twenty  thousand  dollars  for  the  use  of  the 
nation  at  large,  and  for  the  payment  of  the  debts  due  to  their 
merchants  and  traders;  and  to  George  Colbert  and  O'Koy  two 
thousand  dollars,  that  is,  to  each  one  thousand  dollars.  This  sum 
is  granted  to  them  at  the  request  of  the  national  council  for 
services  rendered  their  nation,  and  is  to  be  subject  to  their 
individual  order,  witnessed  by  the  resident  agent;  also  to  Chi- 

310 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

nubbee  Mingo,  the  king  of  the  nation,  an  annuity  of  one  hundred 
dollars,  during  his  natural  life,  granted  as  a  testimony  of  his 
personal  worth  and  friendly  disposition.  All  the  above  payments 
are  to  be  made  in  specie." 


Indians  Encouraged  to  Contract  Debts- 
Here  we  see  a  vast  territory  stretching  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio  River  along  its  bank  to  the  dividing  ridge  between  it 
and  the  Cumberland  River  and  running  hundreds  of  miles  east- 
ward and  embracing  a  vast  territory,  for  which  the  Indians 
received  $20,000  and  the  payments  of  debts  due  to  their  mer- 
chants and  traders,  and  comparatively  small  debts  owed  by  some 
of  their  chiefs,  evidently  to  peddlers  and  sutlers  who  have  always 
borne  reputations  for  fraud  and  deceit. 


In  the  Tennessee  Historical  Magazine  for  191 5  there  are  two 
very  interesting  articles  by  Donald  L.  McMurry  (pp.  21,  106) 
on  the  Indian  policy  of  the  federal  government,  1 789-1801,  and 
on  pp.  114  and  115  he  says: 

1  'Jefferson,  in  his  desire  to  civilize  the  Indian,  was  by  no 
means  impelled  solely  by  his  interest  in  their  welfare.  The 
advantages  to  the  white  settlers  were  also  apparent.  In  a  letter 
to  Jackson,  Jefferson  states  that  the  two  principal  reasons  for 
keeping  agents  among  the  Indians  were,  first,  the  preservation 
of  peace,  and,  second,  the  acquisition  of  more  of  their  lands 
through  leading  them  to  agriculture.  'When  they  shall  cultivate 
small  spots  of  earth,  and  see  how  useless  their  extensive  forests 
are,  they  will  sell  from  time  to  time,  and  help  out  their  personal 
labor  in  stocking  their  farms,  and  procuring  clothes  and  comforts 
from  our  trading  houses.'  He  suggested  to  Governor  Harrison,  of 
Ohio,  the  advantage  of  having  the  influential  men  among  the 
tribes  in  debt  to  the  trading  houses  'because  we  observe  that 
when  these  debts  get  beyond  what  the  individual  can  pay,  they 
become  willing  to  lop  them  off  by  a  cession  of  their  lands.' " 

311 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  was  with  regret  that  I  read  the  advice  given  to  encourage 
the  Indians  to  incur  debts  so  as  to  force  them  to  sell  the  land 
where  the  ashes  of  their  heroic  dead  reposed,  and  which  so  often 
had  been  bathed  with  their  blood;  although  long  before  that,  in 
an  article  read  before  the  Memphis  Historical  Society,  February 
7,  191 7,  I  had  stated  that  such  was  the  evident  policy  of  the 
government. 

The  primitive  Indians  were  but  children  of  the  forest  and 
were  by  nature  incapable  of  mercenary  feelings  or  motives,  and 
consequently  nothing  was  easier  than  to  have  conscienceless  trad- 
ers and  sutlers  pile  up  debts  against  them  at  extortionate  prices. 

Was  this,  the  admitted  policy  of  the  government,  right  ? 


It  is  proper  to  state  here  that  when  Mr.  Jefferson  saw  the 
rising  tide  of  white  settlers  flowing  into  the  Chickasaw  country, 
and  realized  that  the  nation  which  had  never  wavered  in  its 
fidelity  to  the  United  States  would  be  submerged,  he  endeavored 
to  formulate  a  plan  by  which  they  could  remain  in  their  ancient 
homes,  and  act  as  a  kind  of  buffer  state  against  the  French  and 
the  Spaniards,  who  then  had  interests  in  North  America. 

Afterwards  when,  during  his  administration  as  president, 
he  acquired  from  the  great  Napoleon  the  vast  territory  called 
Louisiana,  this  opened  the  way  to  settle  the  various  Indian  tribes 
in  the  wilderness  beyond  the  Mississippi. 

He  probably  realized  that  it  was  now  too  late  to  make 
an  exception  of  the  Chickasaws,  however  deserving  they  were. 


The  Treaty  of  1816— 

The  fourth  treaty  purports  to  have  been  executed  on  Sep- 
tember 20,  1 816,  at  the  Chickasaw  Council  House,  some  iour 
miles  southeast  of  Pontotoc. 


312 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  United  States  was  represented  by  Andrew  Jackson, 
D.  Meriwether,  and  Jesse  Franklin,  and  signed  by  a  number  of 
Indian  chiefs. 

The  country  ceded  and  the  consideration  therefor  is  thus  set 
forth  in  the  second  and  third  articles  of  the  treaty: 

"Art.  II.  The  Chickasaw  nation  cede  to  the  United  States 
(with  the  exception  of  such  reservations  as  shall  hereafter  be 
specified)  all  right  or  title  to  lands  on  the  north  side  of  the  Ten- 
nessee River,  and  relinquish  all  claim  to  territory  on  the  south 
side  of  said  river,  and  east  of  a  line  commencing  at  the  mouth  of 
Caney  Creek,  running  up  said  creek  to  its  source,  thence  a  due 
south  course  to  the  ridge  path,  or  commonly  called  Gaines' 
Road,  along  said  road  southwestwardly  to  a  point  on  the  Tom- 
bigby  River,  well  known  by  the  name  of  the  Cotton  Gin  Port,  and 
down  the  west  bank  of  the  Tombigby  to  the  Choctaw 
boundary. 

"Art.  III.  In  consideration  of  the  relinquishment  of  claim 
and  cession  of  lands  made  in  the  preceding  article,  the  com- 
missioners agree  to  allow  the  Chickasaw  nation  $12,000  per 
annum,  ten  successive  years,  and  $4500  to  be  paid  in  sixty  days 
after  the  ratification  of  this  treaty  into  the  hands  of  Levi  Colbert, 
as  a  compensation  for  any  improvements  which  individuals  of 
the  Chickasaw  nation  may  have  had  on  the  lands  surrendered; 
that  is  to  say  $2,000  for  improvements  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Tombigbee  and  $2,500  for  improvements  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Tennessee  River." 


What  a  mockery  it  all  was  when  we  consider  that  for  this 
magnificent  domain  ceded  to  the  government,  covering  portions 
of  Tennessee,  north  Alabama,  and  northern  Mississippi,  the 
Indians  only  received  $12,000  per  annum  for  ten  years,  or  $120,000, 
and  $4,500  to  be  paid  for  their  improvements. 

By  Article  VI  a  few  of  the  principal  chiefs  were  to  receive 
$150  each  in  cash  or  goods,  and  a  few  more  were  to  receive  $100 
each;  this  last,  no  doubt,  being  used  as  in  the  nature  of  a  bribe 
to  secure  the  execution  of  the  treaty. 


313 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 


The  Treaty  Preceding  the  Birth  of  Memphis— 

The  fifth  treaty  was  executed  October,  1818,  and  proclaimed 
by  President  Monroe  on  January  7,  1819,  and  begins  thus: 

"To  settle  the  territorial  controversies,  and  to  remove  all 
ground  of  complaint  or  dissatisfaction  that  might  arise  to  in- 
terrupt the  peace  and  harmony  which  have  so  long  and  so  happily 
existed  between  the  United  States  of  America  and  the  Chickasaw 
nation  of  Indians,  James  Monroe,  president  of  the  United 
States,  by  Isaac  Shelby  and  Andrew  Jackson,  of  the  one  part, 
and  the  whole  Chickasaw  nation,  by  their  chiefs,  head  men,  and 
warriors,  in  full  council  assembled,  of  the  other  part,  have 
agreed  on  the  following  articles,  which,  when  ratified  by  the 
president  and  Senate  of  the  United  States  of  America,  shall  form 
a  treaty  binding  on  all  parties." 

That  portion  of  the  country  ceded  in  this  treaty  is  thus 
described : 

"Art.  II.  To  obtain  the  object  of  the  foregoing  article,  the 
Chickasaw  nation  of  Indians  cede  to  the  United  States  of  America 
(with  the  exception  of  such  reservations  as  shall  be  hereafter 
mentioned)  all  claim  or  title  which  the  said  nation  has  to  the 
land  lying  north  of  the  south  boundary  of  the  State  of  Tennessee, 
which  is  bounded  south  by  the  thirty-fifth  degree  of  north 
latitude,  and  which  land,  hereby  ceded,  lies  within  the  following 
boundary,  viz:  Beginning  on  the  Tennessee  River,  about 
thirty-five  miles  by  water,  below  Colonel  George  Colbert's 
ferry,  where  the  thirty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude  strikes  the 
same;  thence  due  west,  with  said  degree  of  north  latitude,  to 
where  it  cuts  the  Mississippi  River  at  or  near  the  Chickasaw 
Bluffs;  thence  up  the  said  Mississippi  River  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio;  thence  up  the  Ohio  River  to  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee 
River;  thence  up  the  Tennessee  River  to  the  place  of  beginning." 


By  this  cession  the  Chickasaws  gave  to  the  United  States 
all  of  west  Tennessee;  all  of  their  possession  in  western  Kentucky; 

314 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  what  they  had  left  in  north  Alabama;  for  which  the  United 
States  agreed  to  pay  installments  of  $20,000  per  year  for  fifteen 
years,  making  the  insignificant  total  sum  of  $300,000,  with  some 
small  reservations  to  members  of  the  tribe. 

Commencing  as  far  back  as  1783  North  Carolina  had 
already  made  large  grants  of  land  in  west  Tennessee  and  in 
Kentucky,  and  the  State  of  Tennessee  did  the  like  after  it  came 
into  being,  in  absolute  defiance  of  previous  treaties  with  the 
Chickasaws,  and  after  this  time  the  treaties  with  the  Chickasaws 
were  scarcely  regarded  with  the  dignity  of  a  scrap  of  paper. 


As  far  back  as  1783,  John  Rice,  under  the  authority  of  North 
Carolina,  entered  5,000  acres  on  the  Fourth  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 
beginning  at  the  mouth  of  Wolf  River  and  running  southwardly 
with  the  Mississippi  about  one  mile,  and  thence  eastwardly  for 
the  complement  of  acres  entered ;  and  this  entry  was  immediately 
followed  by  one  to  John  Ramsey  also  for  5,000  acres,  lying  im- 
mediately south  of  the  Rice  tract.  John  Rice  was  killed  by 
some  Indians  in  1791,  near  the  present  site  of  Clarksville,  Ten- 
nessee, and  left  by  will  his  5,000  acres  to  his  brother  Elisha,  who 
about  1794  sold  it  to  John  Overton  of  Nashville  for  the  expressed 
consideration  of  $500;  and  afterwards  Overton  conveyed  one 
half  thereof  to  Andrew  Jackson  for  the  expressed  consideration 
of  $100;  though  the  late  John  Overton,  Jr.,  of  Memphis,  assured 
me  that  in  point  of  fact  his  grandfather  received  nothing  for  the 
conveyance,  he  and  General  Jackson  being  the  warmest  personal 
friends.  General  James  Winchester  and  his  brothers  acquired 
portions  of  the  Jackson  interest,  and  the  5,000  acres  were  owned  by 
these  persons  when  the  treaty  of  1818  was  concluded,  by  which  •,;-.  j 
for  the  first  time  the  Indian  title  was  extinguished.  «Sf 

Jackson  was  much  criticized  for  some  time  for  taking  partrin 
this  treaty,  because  of  his  interest  in  the  Rice  grant,  and  because 

315 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

some  of  his  old  soldiers  had  made  purchases  of  land  on  or  near 
the  Bluffs,  from  the  Indians,  not  knowing  of  the  Rice  entry, 
which  accordingly  took  precedence.  Overton,  the  Winchesters, 
and  Jackson  were  the  proprietors  of  Memphis  and  were  active 
in  the  order  named,  and  a  few  days  after  President  Monroe 
signed  the  Chickasaw  treaty,  viz:  in  January,  1819,  they  signed 
an  agreement  to  lay  out  the  city  of  Memphis,  which  was  named 
by  General  James  Winchester,  an  officer  of  distinction ;  and  who 
in  the  same  year,  by  appointment  of  President  Monroe,  ran  the 
line  under  the  Chickasaw  treaty,  locating  the  35th  degree  of 
north  latitude,  along  which  a  public  road  now  runs  in  Shelby 
County,  known  as  the  Winchester.  State  line  road.  There  had 
been  a  tradition  that  this  line,  when  located,  would  run  along 
where  Poplar  Boulevard  now  is,  and  consequently  would  take  in 
a  part  of  Memphis;  and  the  labors  of  Winchester  were  at  once 
protested  both  by  the  Chickasaws  and  the  State  of  Mississippi, 
which  had  been  admitted  into  the  union  in  1817,  in  entire  dis- 
regard of  the  rights  of  the  Chickasaws.  This  controversy  lasted 
for  years,  but  under  acts  of  the  legislature  passed  in  Mississippi 
and  Tennessee  respectively  in  the  years  1827  and  1828,  a  joint 
commission  was  appointed  which  located  the  line  in  Shelby 
County,  about  four  miles  south  of  the  Winchester  line,  to  the 
disappointment  both  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Mississippi.  Those 
who  may  wish  to  pursue  the  details  of  these  interesting  matters 
further  are  referred  to  the  two  excellent  articles  on  General 
James  Winchester  in  the  Tennessee  Magazine  of  History  for  191 5 
(pp.  79,  183)  by  John  H.  DeWitt. 

I  will  only  add  that  John  Overton  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  was  a  distinguished  jurist  on  the  Supreme  bench,  after 
his  purchase  of  the  Rice  grant,  and  more  than  any  other  man, 
seconded  by  Marcus  B.  Winchester,  afterwards  the  first  mayor  of 
Memphis,  was  the  real  founder  of  Memphis. 


316 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 


The  Heart-Breaking  Treaties  of  1832  and  1834— 

Cushman  was  born  in  the  Choctaw  nation  about  1824,  and 
lived  among  them  and  the  Chickasaws  for  some  seventy-five 
years,  so  that  he  was  to  a  large  extent  the  contemporary  of  the 
men  and  events  when  the  treaties  of  1832  and  1834  were  con- 
cluded. He  says  that  when  the  treaty  of  1830  with  the  Choc- 
taws  was  signed,  by  which  they  were  to  receive  only  five  per 
cent  interest  from  the  federal  government,  Levi  Colbert  at  once 
asked  his  friend  Mr.  Stephen  Daggette  to  calculate  for  him  the 
interest  on  $400,000  at  five,  six,  seven,  and  eight  per  cent  respec- 
tively, and  when  the  result  was  handed  to  him,  he  exclaimed, 
"God!  I  thought  so,"  explaining  that  he  wished  to  keep  the 
calculations,  as  he  knew  that  soon  the  United  States  would  come 
to  demand  the  Chickasaw  homes,  and  he  wished  to  be  prepared 
as  near  as  that  was  possible. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  faithful  agent  of  the  Chickasaws, 
Benj.  Reynolds,  a  facsimile  of  whose  signature  appears  on  a 
copy  of  Lusher's  map  made  a  part  of  this  sketch,  was  ordered  to 
round  up  the  Chickasaws  to  enter  into  the  proposed  treaty,  the 
council  being  held  at  the  house  of  a  Chickasaw  Topulka,  a 
corruption  of  Tarpalah ;  or  in  English  to  halloo,  or  make  a  noise. 

I  do  not  think  I  can  do  better  than  to  quote  what  Cushman 
(p.  522)  in  part  says  took  place: 

"Three  treaties  (or  rather  articles)  were  drawn  up,  but  were 
promptly  rejected  by  the  watchful  and  discerning  Chickasaws. 
Then  the  fourth  was  written  by  the  persistent  Coffee;  but  with 
the  following  clause  inserted  to  catch  the  noble  and  influential 
chief,  Yakni  Moma  Ubih,  the  incorruptible  Levi  Colbert,  which 
read  as  follows:  'We  hereby  agree  to  give  our  beloved  chief, 
Levi  Colbert,  in  consideration  of  his  services  and  expense  of 
entertaining  the  guests  of  the  nation,  fifteen  sections  of  land  in 
any  part  of  the  country  he  may  select.'  'Stop!  Stop!  John 
Coffee!'  shouted  the  justly  indignant  chief  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
'I  am  no  more  entitled  to  those  fifteen  sections  of  land  than  the 

317 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

poorest  Chickasaw  in  the  nation.  I  scorn  your  infamous  offer, 
clothed  under  the  falsehood  of  "our  beloved  chief,"  and  will  not 
accept  it.'  A  frown  of  disappointment  momentarily  rested,  no 
doubt,  upon  the  face  of  Coffee." 

As  a  circumstance  showing  how  completely  the  average 
Indian  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  white  man,  and  although  we  have 
seen  that  Colbert  well  understood  what  interest  meant,  and  had 
a  six  per  cent  interest  clause  inserted  in  the  treaty  of  1832,  it  was 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  this  could  be  made  plain  to  and 
understood  by  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Chickasaws.  Finally 
their  interpreter,  Ben  Love,  illustrated  it  as  a  hen  laying  eggs, 
that  is,  that  one  hundred  dollars  would  lay  six  dollars  each 
twelve  months,  which  they  clearly  understood. 

Nor  should  we,  on  reflection,  be  surprised  at  this;  because 
an  Indian  could  not  conceive  that  one  person  would  charge 
another  for  the  mere  loan  of  something;  for  if  one  Indian  had 
meat  or  bread  or  any  necessary  of  life,  and  another  had  not,  then 
and  there  he  that  had  divided  with  him  that  had  not,  and  that 
was  the  end  of  it. 


It  will  be  seen  from  the  cessions  previously  made  that  the 
United  States  had  already  forced  the  Indians,  in  consideration  of 
a  mere  song,  to  cede  all  of  their  vast  territory  and  domain,  except 
what  they  owned  in  north  Mississippi.  The  State  of  Mississippi 
had  already  been  created  in  181 7,  in  defiance  of  the  treaties 
with  the  Chickasaws.  This  treaty  was  entered  into  October 
20,  1832,  and  commences  thus: 

"Articles  of  a  treaty,  made  and  entered  into  between  Gen. 
John  Coffee,  being  duly  authorized  thereto  by  the  president  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  whole  Chickasaw  nation,  in  general 
council  assembled,  at  the  Council  House,  on  Pontotoc  Creek  on 
the  twentieth  day  of  October,  1832." 


318 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  preamble  is  in  these  words: 

"The  Chickasaw  nation  find  themselves  oppressed  in  their 
present  situation ;  being  made  subject  to  the  laws  of  the  States  in 
which  they  reside.  Being  ignorant  of  the  language  and  laws  of 
the  white  man,  they  cannot  understand  or  obey  them.  Rather 
than  submit  to  this  great  evil,  they  prefer  to  seek  a  home  in 
the  west,  where  they  may  live  and  be  governed  by  their  own 
laws.  And  believing  that  they  can  procure  for  themselves  a 
home,  in  a  country  suited  to  their  wants  and  conditions,  provided 
they  had  the  means  to  contract  and  pay  for  the  same,  they  have 
determined  to  sell  their  country  and  hunt  a  new  home.  The 
President  has  heard  the  complaints  of  the  Chickasaws,  and,  like 
them,  believes  they  cannot  be  happy,  and  prosper  as  a  nation, 
in  their  present  situation  and  condition,  and  being  desirous  to 
relieve  them  from  the  great  calamity  that  seems  to  await  them, 
if  they  remain  as  they  are,  he  has  sent  his  Commissioner  Gen. 
John  Coffee,  who  has  met  the  whole  Chickasaw  nation  in  council, 
and  after  mature  deliberation  they  have  entered  into  the  fol- 
lowing articles,  which  shall  be  binding  on  both  parties,  when  the 
same  shall  be  ratified  by  the  president  of  the  United  States  by 
and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate." 

The  first  article  is  in  these  words : 

"Art.  I.  For  the  consideration  hereinafter  expressed,  the 
Chickasaw  nation  do  hereby  cede  to  the  United  States  all  the 
land  which  they  own  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
including  all  the  country  where  they  at  present  live  and  occupy." 

The  compensation  they  were  to  receive  is  thus  stated: 

"Art.  III.  As  a  full  compensation  to  the  Chickasaw  nation 
for  the  country  thus  ceded,  the  United  States  agree  to  pay  over 
to  the  Chickasaw  nation  all  the  money  arising  from  the  sale  of 
the  land  which  may  be  received  from  time  to  time,  after  deduct- 
ing therefrom  the  whole  cost  and  expenses  of  surveying  and  selling 
the  land,  including  every  expense  attending  the  same." 

Or  stated  in  other  words,  the  government  did  not  propose  to 
pay  them  one  cent  out  of  its  treasury,  but  simply  proposed  to 

319 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

put  up  at  auction  upon  the  block  the  property  of  the  Chickasaws 
and  pay  over  to  them  what  it  might  bring  at  a  forced  sale,  de- 
ducting therefrom  the  expenses  attending  the  sale,  the  Indians 
to  receive  the  net  surplus. 

The  Indians  expressed  a  desire  to  find  a  home  within  the 
territory  of  the  United  States,  and  the  United  States  agreed  to 
bear  the  expense  of  this  removal,  but,  mark  you,  such  expenses  so 
advanced  were  to  be  deducted  from  the  proceeds  of  the  Indian 
land  when  sold.  The  treaty,  of  course,  does  not  disclose  the 
amount  of  the  sales  realized  for  the  Indians,  but  it  is  a  fact  that 
the  government  long  and  unnecessarily  delayed  the  sales  of  these 
lands ;  and  as  we  will  see  further  on,  did  not  properly  account  there- 
for, until  years  afterwards  upon  the  urgent  complaint  of  the  Chick- 
asaws. According  to  the  best  information  obtainable,  the  lands 
sold  under  this  treaty  amounted  to  6,442,400  acres,  or  over  10,000 
square  miles,  for  which  they  ultimately  received  $3,646,000. 

The  twelfth  article  of  this  treaty  is  in  these  words: 

"The  Chickasaws  feel  grateful  to  their  old  chiefs  for  their 
long  and  faithful  services  in  attending  to  the  business  of  the  na- 
tion. They  believe  it  a  duty  to  keep  them  from  want  in  their 
old  and  declining  age.  With  those  feelings  they  have  looked 
upon  their  old  and  beloved  chief  Tishomingo,  who  is  now  grown 
old,  and  is  poor  and  not  able  to  live  in  that  comfort  which  his 
valuable  life  and  great  merit  deserve.  It  is  therefore  determined 
to  give  him  out  of  the  national  funds  one  hundred  dollars  a  year 
during  the  balance  of  his  life,  and  the  nation  request  him  to 
receive  it  as  a  token  of  their  kind  feelings  for  him,  on  account  of 
his  long  and  valuable  services. 

"Our  old  and  beloved  Queen  Puccaunla  is  now  very  old 
and  very  poor.  Justice  says  the  nation  ought  not  to  let  her 
suffer  in  her  old  age;  it  is  therefore  determined  to  give  her  out 
of  the  national  funds  fifty  dollars  a  year  during  her  life,  the  money 
to  be  put  in  the  hands  of  the  agent,  to  be  laid  out  for  her  sup- 
port, under  his  direction,  with  the  advice  of  the  chiefs." 

Here  is  a  fair  sample  of  the  parsimony,  of  the  ingratitude, 
and  the  cruel  treatment  which  the  white  men  of  this  country 

320 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

meted  out  to  this  noble  nation  of  Indians.  This  old  Chief 
Tishomingo  was  then  nearly  one  hundred  years  of  age,  and 
practically  helpless,  and  on  his  way,  after  being  practically 
driven  from  his  native  country  where  the  ashes  of  his  ancestors 
for  untold  ages  had  rested,  he  reached  Little  Rock,  in  what  is 
now  Arkansas,  and  there  died,  no  doubt  from  fatigue  and  ex- 
posure, at  the  age  of  one  hundred  years. 

Think  of  it — a  noble  queen,  so  old,  decrepit,  and  blind  that 
she  could  not  wait  upon  herself,  and  acknowledged  by  the  treaty 
to  be  a  queenly  woman,  and  in  reward  for  a  lifetime  of  service 
is  granted  the  pitiful  sum  or  annuity  of  $50. 

If  it  be  said  that  these  engagements  were  made  upon  the 
part  of  the  Indians  only,  and  not  by  the  United  States,  then  so 
much  the  worse  for  the  United  States;  for  if  there  remained  in 
the  breasts  of  the  United  States  officials  a  spark  of  gratitude  or 
of  compassion,  a  sufficient  provision  out  of  the  millions  in  profits 
which  this  country  had  made  out  of  the  Chickasaw  lands  should 
have  been  made  for  these  old  people  who  had  spent  a  lifetime  of 
service  for  the  United  States. 

It  is  almost  needless  to  say  here  that  Tishomingo  County 
and  Tishomingo  Creek,  whereon  was  fought  a  great  Indian  battle, 
and  during  the  Civil  War  whereon  was  fought  another  great 
battle,  were  named  after  this  great  chief,  while  what  is  called  the 
Tishomingo  gravel,  thousands  of  tons  of  which  form  streets  in 
the  city  of  Memphis,  as  well  as  hundreds  of  miles  of  roads 
throughout  this  country,  was  called  after  the  same  great  Chicka- 
saw chief. 

On  October  23,  1832,  a  supplementary  and  explanatory 
treaty,  with  regard  to  that  last  spoken  of,  was  entered  into 
between  the  United  States  and  the  Chickasaw  nation,  embodying 
many  provisions,  one  being  in  these  words: 

"In  the  provision  of  the  fourth  article  of  the  treaty,  to  which 
this  is  a  supplement,  for  reserves  to  young  men  who  have  no 

321 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

families,  it  expresses  that  each  young  man  who  is  twenty-one 
years  of  age  shall  have  a  reserve.  But  as  the  Indians  mature 
earlier  than  white  men,  and  generally  marry  younger,  it  is  de- 
termined to  extend  a  reserve  to  each  young  man  who  is  seventeen 
years  of  age.  And  as  there  are  some  orphan  girls  in  the  nation 
whose  families  do  not  provide  for  them,  and  also  some  widows 
in  the  same  situation,  it  is  determined  to  allow  to  each  of  them 
a  reservation  of  one  section,  on  the  same  terms  and  conditions  in 
all  respects  with  the  other  reservations  for  the  nation  generally, 
and  to  be  allowed  to  the  same  ages  as  to  young  men.' 

The  Indians  prayed  that  the  government  grant  to  them 
certain  mail  routes,  and  among  them  one  running  from  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  by  their  offices  and  to  the  Cotton  Gin  Port  in  Mis- 
sissippi, which  was  a  well  known  settlement  and  town  at  that 
day  and  time. 

As  showing  that  the  Indians  were  appreciative  of  the  services 
of  any  one  to  them,  or  any  one  who  faithfully  discharged  his 
duties  as  connected  with  them,  the  following  is  instructive  on 
that  subject: 

"John  Donley  has  long  been  known  in  this  nation  as  a  mail 
carrier;  he  rode  on  the  mails  through  our  nation  when  a  boy  and 
for  many  years  after  he  was  grown;  we  think  he  understands 
that  business  as  well,  if  not  better  than  any  other  man,  and  if  he 
is  given  the  contract,  the  nation  will  set  apart  a  section  of  land 
for  his  use  while  he  remains  here  in  this  country,  which  section  he 
may  select,  with  the  advice  of  the  chiefs,  anywhere  that  suits 
him  best,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  any  of  the  reserves,  and  he 
may  use  it  in  any  manner  to  live  on,  or  make  such  improvements 
as  may  be  necessary  for  keeping  his  horses,  or  to  raise  forage  for 
them." 


On  May  24,  1834,  articles  of  convention  and  agreement  were 
proposed  by  the  Commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 
in  pursuance  of  the  request  made  by  a  delegation  representing  the 
Chickasaw  nation,  and  in  which  it  is  recited  the  articles  have 
been  agreed  to.     The  second  article  is  in  these  words: 

322 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Art.  II.  The  Chickasaws  are  about  to  abandon  their 
homes,  which  they  have  long  cherished  and  loved;  and  though 
hitherto  unsuccessful,  they  still  hope  to  find  a  country  adequate 
to  the  wants  and  support  of  their  people,  somewhere  west  of  the 
Mississippi  and  within  the  territorial  limits  of  the  United  States: 
should  they  do  so,  the  government  of  the  United  States,  hereby  con- 
sents to  protect  and  defend  them  against  the  inroads  of  any  other 
tribe  of  Indians,  and  from  the  whites;  and  agree  to  keep  them  without 
the  limits  of  any  State  or  Territory. 

"The  Chickasaw  pledge  never  to  make  war  upon  any  Indian 
people,  or  upon  the  whites,  unless  they  are  so  authorized  by  the 
United  States.  But  if  war  be  made  upon  them,  they  will  be 
permitted  to  defend  themselves  until  assistance  be  given  to  them 
by  the  United  States,  as  shall  be  the  case." 

Here  we  see  that  having  by  this  treaty  forced  the  Indians 
to  remove  from  the  small  territory  to  which  they  had  been  re- 
duced by  oppression,  and  to  leave  the  land  their  fathers  had  held 
and  owned  for  generations,  by  a  kind  of  excuse  for  so  doing,  and 
with  a  view  of  forcing  a  reluctant  consent  on  the  part  of  the 
Chickasaws,  the  United  States  government  bound  itself  in  the 
most  express  terms,  if  the  Chickasaws  found  a  home  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States  never  to  erect  that  country  into  a 
territory,  much  less  a  State.  Nevertheless,  in  keeping  with  the 
faithlessness  of  all  previous  treaties,  the  government  not  only 
created  what  was  called  the  Indian  Territory  where  the  Chicka- 
saws found  a  home  but  afterwards  created  it  a  State  in  utter 
disregard  of  the  rights  of  the  Indians  and  treaty  obligations. 

It  will  not  do  to  say  that  the  various  treaties  were  even 
voluntarily  agreed  to  by  the  Indians,  for  it  is  well  known  that 
intimidation  and  a  species  of  threats  and  coercion  were  used  by 
the  agents  of  the  government  to  compel  the  Indian  to  sign  these 
treaties. 

If  there  remains  a  doubt  in  the  minds  of  any  man  on  this 
subject,  he  has  but  to  read  the  proceedings  of  the  convention  or 
council  which  took  place  when  the  Choctaw  tribe  of  Indians  were 
compelled  to  sign  the  Dancing  Rabbit  treaty,  by  which  they 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

were  forced  to  abandon  their  homes  in  the  lower  part  of  Missis- 
sippi, and  also  to  seek  a  home  in  the  West.  These  things  were  all 
set  down  at  the  time  and  can  be  found  in  the  publications  of  the 
Historical  Association  for  the  State  of  Mississippi,  and  cannot  be 
read  without  producing  a  sense  of  shame;  and  so  were  nearly  all 
of  the  treaties  forced  upon  the  Indians;  and  when  H.  H.  (the  pen 
name  of  Helen  Hunt,  Jackson),  giving  a  history  of  the  treatment 
of  many  tribes  of  Indians  by  the  United  States  government, 
entitled  it  A  Century  of  Dishonor,  I  think  she  well  named  her 
book. 

The  next  article  of  this  last  treaty  makes  provision  for  Indian 
orphans ;  and  thereafter  many  provisions  are  made  with  respect  to 
the  removal  not  necessary  here  to  mention. 

On  May  24th,  1834,  upon  the  same  date  as  the  preceding 
treaty,  articles  supplementary  were  entered  into,  and  provisions 
were  made  for  carrying  the  old  chiefs  Levi  Colbert  and  Isaac 
Alberson  to  some  watering  place  on  account  of  their  illness  and 
the  valuable  services  they  had  rendered  the  nation,  and  that  there 
should  be  paid  to  these  old  chiefs  $3,000  to  defray  certain  in- 
debtedness. 

The  second  article  is  in  these  words : 

"Art.  II.  The  Chickasaw  people  express  a  desire  that  the 
government  shall  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States  educate 
some  of  their  children,  and  they  urge  the  justice  of  their  applica- 
tion on  the  ground  that  they  have  been  faithful  and  friendly  to 
the  people  of  this  country,  that  they  have  never  raised  the  toma- 
hawk to  shed  the  blood  of  an  American,  and  have  given  up 
heretofore  to  their  white  brothers  extensive  and  valuable  portions 
of  their  country,  at  a  price  wholly  inconsiderable  and  inadequate ; 
and  from  which  the  United  States  have  derived  great  wealth  and 
important  advantages;  therefore,  with  the  advice  and  consent 
of  the  president  and  Senate  of  the  United  States,  it  is  consented 
that  three  thousand  dollars  for  fifteen  years  be  appropriated  and 
applied  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the  edu- 
cation and  instruction  within  the  United  States  of  such  children, 
male  and  female,  or  either,  as  the  seven  persons  named  in  the 

334 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

treaty  to  which  this  is  a  supplement,  and  their  successors,  with 
the  approval  of  the  agent,  from  time  to  time  may  select  and 
recommend." 

The  statements  in  the  foregoing  articles  to  the  effect  that 
the  Chickasaws  had  never  raised  a  tomahawk  to  shed  the  blood 
of  an  American,  and  had  given  up  to  their  white  brethren  ex- 
tensive and  valuable  portions  of  their  country  at  a  price  wholly 
inconsiderable  and  inadequate,  was  not  only  signed  by  the 
Indians  but  by  the  Commissioner  of  the  United  States,  and  he 
and  the  president,  and  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  in  rati- 
fying and  confirming  this  treaty  and  confirming  the  above 
statements  to  be  true,  thereby  attested  the  nobility  and  fidelity 
of  the  Chickasaw  Indians,  and  at  the  same  time  attested  their 
own  want  of  appreciation  of  that  noble  people. 

That  the  Chickasaw  Indians  had  a  keen  perception  of  what 
is  right  and  wrong  is  shown  by  the  fourth  article  of  the  treaty  in 
these  words : 

"Art.  IV.  Benj.  Reynolds,  agent  at  the  time  of  paying  their 
last  annuity,  had  stolen  from  him  by  a  negro  slave  of  the 
Chickasaws,  a  box  containing  one  thousand  dollars;  the  chiefs 
of  the  Chickasaw  people,  satisfied  of  the  fact,  and  hence  unwilling 
to  receive  the  lost  amount  from  their  agent,  ask,  and  it  is  agreed, 
that  the  sum  so  stolen  and  lost  shall  be  passed  to  the  credit  of 
their  nation  by  the  United  States,  to  be  drawn  on  hereafter  for 
their  national  purposes." 

It  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  Chickasaws 
did  not  fully  understand  their  rights,  and  that  the  chief  desire 
of  their  hearts  was  to  remain  in  their  ancient  homes,  in  defense 
of  which  they  successfully  defeated  all  invaders  for  ages. 

They  were  passionately  fond  of  their  country. 

This  was  shown  when  white  men  first  looked  into  their  faces 
in  1540,  and  when  they  came  near  destroying  the  army  of  De  Soto. 

They  showed  their  devotion  to  their  homes  in  the  successive 
defeats    of     Bienville,     D'Artaguette,     Vaudreuil,     Regio,     the 

325 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Iroquois,  Illinois,  Shawnee,  Arkansas,  Cherokee,  Creek,  Choc- 
taw, and  all  other  Indian  tribes  which  invaded  the  land  they 
loved  so  well. 

In  their  first  official  council  with  Governor  Johnstone  in 
1765,  in  answer  to  their  demand,  he  guaranteed  that  they  would 
never  be  disturbed  in  their  country;  in  the  first  official  treaty 
with  the  United  States  in  1786,  their  freedom  from  molestation  in 
their  country  was  guaranteed  to  them ;  in  the  great  conference  at 
Nashville  in  1792,  their  great  Chief  Piomingo  stated  the  bound- 
aries of  their  country,  because  he  said  he  expected  the  white 
man  would  take  the  lands  of  Cherokees,  because  of  spilling  the 
blood  of  the  whites,  and  for  fear  they  might  mistake  that  of  the 
Chickasaws  for  the  Cherokees',  he  wished  the  boundaries  of 
the  Chickasaw  lands  well  understood,  and  produced  a  map 
which  the  United  States  commissioners  had  furnished  him  at 
the  treaty  of  1786;  and  on  July  21,  1794,  he  procured  from  the 
hands  of  President  Washington  a  statement  confirming  the 
boundaries  as  he  stated  them  at  Nashville  in  1792. 

In  all  subsequent  treaties  we  have  seen  how  pathetically  the 
Chickasaws  clung  to  the  vain  hope  that  they  would  not  be  driven 
like  cattle  from  the  homes  they  loved  so  well. 

Nor  should  it  be  supposed  that  they  were  deceived  as  to 
the  real  purpose  of  the  whites  and  the  ultimate  fate  of  the 
Indians,  however  specious  might  be  the  speeches  made  to  them, 
or  the  arts  of  diplomacy  that  were  used  to  deceive  the  children  of 
the  forest,  for  not  a  word  or  tone  of  the  voice,  or  the  movement 
of  a  muscle  of  the  face,  escaped  their  ever- watchful  eyes. 

I  do  not  know  that  I  can  do  better  than  to  reproduce  three 
speeches  which  illustrate  what  is  here  said. 

On  pp.  135,  136,  137  Boudinot  says: 

"The  writer  of  this  was  present  at  a  dinner  given  by  General 
Knox  to  a  number  of  Indians  in  the  year  1789  at  New  York; 
they  had  come  to  the  president  on  a  mission  from  their  nations. 
The  house  was  in  Broadway.  A  little  before  dinner,  two  or  three 
of  the  sachems,  with  their  chief  or  principal  man,  went  into  the 

326 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

balcony  at  the  front  of  the  house,  the  drawing-room  being  up- 
stairs. From  this  they  had  a  view  of  the  city,  the  harbour,  Long 
Island,  etc.  After  remaining  there  a  short  time,  they  returned 
into  the  room,  apparently  dejected;  but  the  chief  more  than  the 
rest.  General  Knox  took  notice  of  it,  and  said  to  him,  'Brother! 
what  has  happened  to  you?  You  look  sorry!  Is  there  anything 
to  distress  you?'  He  answered,  'I'll  tell  you,  brother.  I  have 
been  looking  at  your  beautiful  city — the  great  water,  your  fine 
country — and  see  how  happy  you  all  are.  But  then,  I  could  not 
help  thinking,  that  this  fine  country  and  this  great  water  were 
once  ours. 

"  'Our  ancestors  lived  here.  They  enjoyed  it  as  their  own  in 
peace.  It  was  the  gift  of  the  Great  Spirit  to  them  and  their 
children.  At  last  the  white  people  came  here  in  a  great  canoe. 
They  asked  only  to  let  them  tie  it  to  a  tree,  lest  the  waters  should 
carry  it  away.  We  consented.  They  then  said  some  of  their 
people  were  sick  and  they  asked  permission  to  land  them  and 
put  them  under  the  shade  of  the  trees.  The  ice  then  came,  and 
they  could  not  go  away.  Then  they  begged  a  piece  of  land  to 
build  wigwams  for  the  winter.  We  granted  it  to  them.  They  then 
asked  for  some  corn  to  keep  them  from  starving.  We  kindly 
furnished  it  to  them,  they  promising  to  go  away  when  the 
ice  was  gone.  When  this  happened,  we  told  them  they  must  now 
go  away  with  their  big  canoe ;  but  they  pointed  to  their  big  guns 
round  their  wigwams,  and  said  they  would  stay  there,  and  we 
can  not  make  them  go  away.  Afterwards,  more  came.  They 
brought  spirituous  and  intoxicating  liquors  with  them,  of  which 
the  Indians  became  very  fond.  They  persuaded  us  to  sell  them 
some  land.  Finally  they  drove  us  back,  from  time  to  time,  into 
the  wilderness,  far  from  the  water  and  the  fish  and  the  oysters. 
They  have  destroyed  the  game,  our  people  have  wasted  away, 
and  now  we  live  miserable  and  wretched,  while  you  are  enjoying 
our  fine  and  beautiful  country.  This  makes  me  sorry,  brother, 
and  I  cannot  help  it.'" 

On  p.  137  Foster  says: 

"Just  as  the  Cherokees  were  beginning  to  take  a  prominent 
stand  in  civilized  ways,  the  United  States  was  scheming  to  pos- 
sess their  land  and  to  drive  them  by  fair  means  or  foul  from  their 
native  soil.    No  better  portrayal  of  the  very  shameful  condition 

327 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

of  affairs  which  were  agitating  the  Cherokees  at  this  time  (1830) 
can  be  produced  than  in  the  reply  of  Speckled  Snake  to  the 
speech  of  President  Jackson.  It  was  as  follows: 

'"Brothers,  we  have  heard  the  talk  of  our  great  father; 
it  is  very  kind.  He  says  he  loves  his  red  children.  Brothers! 
When  the  white  man  first  came  to  these  shores,  the  Muscogees 
gave  him  land,  and  kindled  him  a  fire  to  make  him  comfortable; 
and  when  the  pale  faces  of  the  South  made  war  on  him,  their 
young  men  drew  the  tomahawk,  and  protected  his  head  from  the 
scalping  knife.  But  when  the  white  man  had  warmed  himself 
before  Indian's  fire,  and  filled  himself  with  Indian's  hominy, 
he  became  very  large;  he  stopped  not  for  the  mountain  tops, 
and  his  feet  covered  the  plains  and  the  valleys.  His  hands 
grasped  the  eastern  and  even  the  western  sea.  Then  he  became 
our  great  father.  He  loved  his  red  children,  but  said,  "You  must 
move  a  little  farther  lest  I  should  by  accident  tread  on  you." 
With  one  foot  he  pushed  the  red  men  over  the  Oconee,  and  with 
the  other  he  trampled  down  the  graves  of  his  fathers.  But 
our  great  father  still  loved  his  red  children,  and  he  soon  made 
them  another  talk.  He  said  much;  but  meant  nothing  but 
''Move  a  little  further,  you  are  too  near  me."  I  have  heard  a  good 
many  talks  from  our  great  father,  and  they  all  began  and  ended 
the  same.  Brothers!  When  he  made  us  a  talk  on  a  former  occa- 
sion, he  said,  "Get  a  little  further;  go  beyond  the  Oconee,  and  the 
Ockmulgee;  there  is  a  pleasant  country."  He  also  said,  "It  shall 
be  yours  forever." ' 

"  'Now,  he  says,  "The  land  you  live  on  is  not  yours ;  go  beyond 
the  Mississippi ;  there  is  land ;  there  is  game ;  there  you  may  remain 
while  the  grass  grows  or  the  water  runs."  Brothers!  Will  not 
our  father  come  there  also?  He  loves  his  red  children  and  his 
tongue  is  not  forked.'  " 

At  the  Sycamore  Shoals  in  what  is  now  east  Tennessee, 
Daniel  Boone,  Colonel  Richard  Henderson,  and  others  had 
collected  the  Cherokee  Indians  to  buy  from  them  a  great  tract  of 
country  between  the  Kentucky  and  Cumberland  Rivers. 

There  was  no  authority  in  law  for  private  individuals  thus 
to  treat  with  Indians  for  the  purchase  of  a  portion  of  their  coun- 
try; and,  moreover,  this  was  but  a  part  of  a  plan  to  secure  a  color 
of  title  to  the  Cherokee  country;  for,  on  November  5,  1768,  the 

328 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Six  Nations  had  assumed  to  convey  to  the  king  of  England  their 
pretended  title  to  a  great  body  of  land  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge 
Mountains  and  down  to  the  Tennessee,  embracing  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  fairest  part  of  Tennessee.  Phelan  (p.  17)  very  correctly 
observes, 

"This  was  the  beginning  of  a  mournful  repetition  which 
still  continues  at  the  end  of  what  has  been  aptly  termed  'a 
century  of  dishonor.'  " 

A  few  Cherokees  were  present,  and  it  was  pretended  that 
they  ratified  the  act  of  the  Six  Nations  who  pretended  to  cede 
Cherokee  territory;  and  afterwards  it  was  sought  in  various  ways 
to  commit  the  Cherokee  people  to  a  cession  of  a  large  part  of 
their  territory,  and  the  meeting  at  the  Sycamore  Shoals,  in  what 
is  now  Carter  County,  east  Tennessee,  was  procured  by  Boone, 
Henderson,  and  others,  for  the  same  purpose,  though,  as  pointed 
out  above,  this  action  was  without  authority  of  law. 

Oconostota  was  one  of  the  principal  Cherokee  chiefs,  the 
bravest  of  the  brave,  and  in  an  impassioned  speech  he  very 
properly  opposed  the  cession,  saying: 

"This  is  the  beginning.  Whole  nations  have  passed  away, 
and  there  remains  not  a  stone  to  mark  the  place  where  rest  the 
bones  of  our  ancestors.  They  have  melted  like  the  snow  before 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  their  names  are  not  recorded,  save  in 
the  deeds  and  the  charters  of  those  who  have  brought  destruction 
upon  them.  The  invader  has  crossed  the  great  sea  in  ships;  he 
has  not  been  stayed  by  broad  rivers,  and  now  he  has  penetrated 
the  wilderness  and  overcome  the  ruggedness  of  the  mountains. 

"Neither  will  he  stop  here.  He  will  force  the  Indian  steadily 
before  him  across  the  Mississippi  ever  towards  the  west,  to  find 
a  shelter  and  a  refuge  in  the  seclusion  of  solitude.  But  even 
here  he  will  come  at  last;  and  there  being  no  place  remaining 
where  the  Indian  may  dwell  in  the  habitations  of  his  people,  he 
will  proclaim  the  extinction  of  the  race,  till  the  red  man  be 
no  longer  a  roamer  of  the  forests  and  a  pursuer  of  wild  game." 

After  quoting  Oconostota  as  above  Phelan  (p.  19)  adds: 

329 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"But  the  best  words  and  the  best  actions  of  the  fated  race 
have  never  availed  against  that  irresistible  and  unpitying  person- 
ification which  is  called  the  spirit  of  civilization.  Oconostota 
himself  signed  the  treaty  against  which  he  made  his  eloquent 
protest." 


This  is  an  idealistic  sketch  of  Piomingo  (the  name  meaning  Mountain 
Leader),  the  great  Chickasaw  chief  in  the  time  of  George  Washington,  who  was  a 
warm   friend  and   admirer  of  the  distinguished   Chickasaw. 


CHAPTER    XI 

SHORT  SKETCH  OF  PIOMINGO  AND  SEQUOYAH;  AND 
HEREIN  OF  MEN  OF  THE  SOUTH 

To  the  average  reader  history  is  at  best  but  dry  reading,  and 
too  often  it  consists  only  of  the  sanguinary  conflicts  of  a  people 
and  the  intrigues  and  schemes  of  those  who  are  in  political 
charge  of  public  affairs. 

The  private  character  and  home  life  and  aspirations  of  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  ordinary  individual  composing  the  nation  is 
usually  overlooked,  with  the  result  that  the  picture  we  have  of  a 
people  is  often  very  incomplete. 

In  the  short  sketches  of  Piomingo  and  Sequoyah  I  hope  to 
give  some  conception,  incomplete  though  they  be,  of  the  real 
character  of  these  two  Indians  who  attained  distinction  not  only 
among  their  fellow  countrymen  but  among  the  whites  as  well. 
Piomingo  was  a  full-blooded  Chickasaw  Indian,  while  the  father 
of  Sequoyah  was  a  white  man  and  his  mother  an  Indian,  some 
writers  saying  that  she  was  of  mixed  Indian  and  white  parentage, 
though  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  she  was  an  Indian  of 
the  whole  blood. 

It  has  proven  a  very  difficult  task  to  trace  out  in  a  short 
sketch  the  characteristics  of  these  two  men,  especially  as  to 
Piomingo,  an  account  of  whom  naturally  finds  a  place  in  giving 
the  story  of  the  Chickasaws. 

I  have  chosen  to  combine  a  sketch  of  Sequoyah  with  that  of 
Piomingo,  both  because  he  was  the  most  intellectual  Indian  of 
whom  I  have  read,  and  also  because  he  was  born  on  what  is  now 
Tennessee  soil,  my  adopted  home,  and  in  which  I  have  spent 
the  greater  part  of  my  life. 

331 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Piomingo,  the  Great  Chiekasaw  Chief— 

The  first  treaty  concluded  between  the  Chickasaw  nation 
and  the  United  States  was  dated  1786,  at  Hopewell,  which  is  in 
the  present  State  of  South  Carolina,  and  is  signed  by  Piomingo 
by  making  his  mark,  who  is  therein  described  as  head  warrior 
and  chief  delegate  of  the  Chickasaw  nation.  In  other  documents 
and  books  the  name  is  spelled  in  various  ways,  as  Piamingo, 
Opiamingo,  Opia  Mingo,  Opoiaming,  Pyo  Mingo  and  Opaya 
Mingo.  In  the  treaty  referred  to  and  in  official  documents  the 
name  is  usually  spelled  Piomingo,  except  those  of  William  Blount, 
who  often  spelled  the  name  Opoiamingo,  and  there  is  one  letter 
from  the  great  Chickasaw  to  James  Robertson,  of  December 
1st,  1795,  signed  Opiamingo,  while  the  United  States  named  a 
vessel  for  him  with  the  name  of  Opoiamingo  but  I  think  Blount 
had  the  name  so  written. 

I  am  satisfied  that  the  chief  could  neither  read  nor  write 
and  necessarily  depended  on  others  to  perform  this  service  for 
him.  He  no  doubt  realized  how  unsatisfactory  this  was,  for  in 
the  letter  signed  as  above  indicated  he  requested  that  William 
Mizell  should  write  the  answer  thereto,  saying  he  could  both 
talk  and  write  correctly. 

All  concur  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  name  in  the  original, 
which  is  Mountain  Leader. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  word  Mingo  meant  in  Chickasaw, 
leader  or  chief,  and,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Indians, 
this  warrior  having  performed  some  exploit  in  some  way  con- 
nected with  a  mountain,  he  was  made  their  leader,  and  so  named 
accordingly. 

I  have  followed  the  usual  official  spelling  of  the  name, 
writing  it  Piomingo,  giving  the  i  the  sound  of  e,  and  putting  the 
accent  thereon. 

Little,  indeed  very  little,  is  known  of  the  early  history  of 
the  Chickasaws  when  Piomingo  was  a  child  and  arrived  at  young 
manhood;  of  this  period  we  know  nothing  of  Piomingo,  and 
even  his  later  life  seems  to  be  obscured  by  oblivion. 

332 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

He  was  of  the  greatest  service  to  the  white  settlers,  especially 
in  middle  Tennessee,  and  to  the  history  of  their  struggles  we  are 
indebted  for  all  that  we  know  of  Piomingo.  But  when  in  a  great 
measure  through  his  influence  the  Spaniards  were  forced  in  1797 
to  abandon  Fort  San  Fernando,  which  Governor  Gayoso  had 
caused  to  be  built  where  Memphis  now  stands,  his  further 
services  were  scarcely  needed,  and  as  Tennessee  had  then  become 
a  sovereign  state,  and  the  federal  government  had  by  treaty 
extinguished  all  of  the  pretentions  of  Spain  to  occupy  the  Chicka- 
saw Bluffs  or  obstruct  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  we  hear  little  or  nothing  of  Piomingo.  So  long  as  he  was 
the  power  to  be  depended  upon  to  save  the  white  settlers  from 
destruction  by  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees,  he  was  fawned  on  by 
the  whites.  When  they  no  longer  needed  his  protection,  they 
allowed  his  name  to  sink  into  oblivion. 

The  first  reference  that  I  have  seen  to  Piomingo  is  contained 
in  the  account  given  by  Henderson  of  what  were  called  the  "Long 
Hunters,"  who  were  hunters  going  on  long  hunting  trips  through 
the  Indian  countries,  spying  out  the  best  parts  of  the  country  and 
incidentally  gathering  up  furs  and  such  produce  as  the  country 
afforded.     On  page  125  Henderson  says: 

" Indians  often  lurked  in  the  neighborhood  of  these  hunters, 
plundering  their  camp,  robbing  them,  and  even  shooting  down 
one  of  their  number,  Robert  Crockett,  from  ambush.  After 
many  trials  and  vicissitudes,  which  included  a  journey  to  the 
Spanish  Natchez  and  the  loss  of  a  great  mass  of  peltries  when  they 
were  plundered  by  Piomingo  and  a  war  party  of  Chickasaws, 
they  finally  reached  home  in  the  late  spring  of  1770." 

There  is  a  note  to  the  text  referring  to  the  Narrative  of 
William  Hall,  Draper  MSS.,  Wisconsin  State  Library.  In  a 
letter  to  me  of  October  28,  1920,  Joseph  Schafer,  Superintendent 
of  the  Wisconsin  State  Library,  says: 

"Mr.  Henderson's  authority  for  the  paragraph  you  cite  was 
Dr.  L.  C.  Draper's  manuscript  Life  of  Boone  in  our  possession. 

333 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Dr.  Draper  was  an  exceedingly  careful  student,  and  obtained  his 
facts  from  many  pioneers,  of  whom  Gen.  William  Hall  was  one. 
General  Hall's  informant  was  Isaac  Bledsoe,  one  of  the  Long 
Hunters.  Bledsoe,  however,  was  one  of  the  group  who  returned 
to  the  settlements  after  Station  Camp  Creek  was  robbed.  The 
portion  concerning  the  Chickasaw  reads  as  follows:  (Draper 
MSS.  3B52.)  'On  the  6th  day  of  April,  1770,  half  or  more  of  the 
party  returned  to  the  settlements,  while  (Uriah)  Stone,  (Casper) 
Mansker,  Baker,  Gordon,  Hogan,  Brooks,  and  four  others  built 
two  boats,  two  trapping  canoes,  laded  them,  together  with  furs 
and  bear  meats,  and  descended  the  Cumberland.  *  *  * 
Reaching  the  mouth  of  Cumberland,  and  finding  their  bear  meat 
likely  to  spoil,  they  rendered  it  into  oil,  and  poured  it  into  the 
lightest  boat  for  market.  And  here,  also  another  misfortune 
befel  them,  in  being  robbed  of  two  guns,  some  ammunition,  salt, 
and  tobacco,  by  Piomingo  or  the  Mountain  Leader,  John  Brown, 
and  twenty-five  Chickasaws,  on  their  way  to  war  against  the 
Senecas.  The  guns  were  the  heaviest  loss,  for  they  soon  re- 
placed the  other  articles  from  some  French  boats  they  met.' 

"That  is  the  only  mention  of  the  Chickasaw  warriors. 
Draper's  authority  for  this  statement  was  John  Haywood, 
History  of  Tennessee  (Nashville,  1823).  Haywood  based  his 
account  on  Mansker's  recollections.  It  may  have  been  that  Dr. 
Draper  also  obtained  some  information  for  himself,  since  he 
corresponded  with  the  descendants  of  the  Long  Hunters  and 
wrote  in  the  same  manuscript  volume  sketches  of  their  lives. 
Mansker  lived  long  in  the  Cumberland  country,  dying  December 
20,  1820,  on  Mansker's  Creek  in  Summer  County,  Tenn.  Dr. 
Draper  secured  some  information  concerning  the  Chickasaws 
from  Malcolm  McGee  (10U106-126). 

"He  says  (10U109)  that  Piomingo  was  born  about  1750  and 
died  about  1796.     McGee  was  among  the  Chickasaws  in  1768." 

This  is  the  only  account  I  have  seen  which  professes  to  give 
the  year  of  the  birth  and  death  of  Piomingo,  and  I  know  that  the 
statement  that  he  died  about  1796  is  incorrect,  for  he  met  Col. 
Guion  and  other  notables  on  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  on  August  16, 
1797,  the  details  of  the  conference  appearing  hereinafter. 

He  must  have  been  dead  when  the  treaty  of  180 1  was  signed, 
for  his  name  does  not  appear  therein. 

334 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  Piomingo  was  born  earlier  than 
1750,  for  he  would  have  been  only  twenty  years  old  in  1770, 
when  he  is  said  to  have  "robbed"  this  party  of  Long 
Hunters;  and  moreover  he  was  then  the  dominant  power 
among  the  Chickasaws,  which  he  would  scarcely  have  been 
if  only  twenty  years  old,  and  only  forty-seven  years  old  in 
1797  when  we  last  hear  of  him.  I  am  impressed  with  the  idea 
that  he  was  then  considerably  older  than  forty-seven,  though  it 
must  be  confessed  that  this  is  more  of  a  conjecture  than 
otherwise. 

The  statement  that  this  party  of  Long  Hunters  was  "robbed" 
by  Piomingo  comes  from  the  Hunters,  and  no  doubt  from  the 
view  point  of  Piomingo  and  his  band  of  warriors,  such  was  not 
the  case,  and  that  fair  exchange  was  by  no  means  robbery  in  the 
ordinary  acceptation  of  that  word. 

What  right  had  the  Long  Hunters  in  the  country  of  the 
Chickasaws?  Were  they  not  there  without  leave  or  license;  and, 
moreover,  not  as  mere  travelers  passing  through  the  country,  for 
it  will  be  noted  that  their  boats  were  loaded  with  furs, 
bear  meat,  and  oil  which  they  had,  so  far  as  the  Chick- 
asaws were  concerned,  nolens  volens  appropriated  to  their  private 
uses? 

No  doubt  the  Indians  felt  no  compunctions  in  this  small 
reprisal,  and  they  are  entitled  to  their  point  of  view,  though  this 
was  seldom  granted  them. 

In  this,  our  first  introduction  to  Piomingo,  it  will  be  noted 
that  he  was  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  warriors  on  their  way  to 
wage  war  with  the  Seneca  Indians  in  the  far  North,  for  they  then 
probably  lived  in  the  present  State  of  New  York,  over  a 
thousand  miles  from  the  home  of  the  Chickasaws.  The  Chicka- 
saws were  great  travelers  as  well  as  warriors,  and  they  were 
known,  feared,  and  respected  over  a  vast  country  far  beyond 
the  limits  of  their  own  domain,  and  at  this  time  Piomingo 
was  the  one  dominant  spirit  controlling  the  destinies  of  his 
nation. 

335 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Captain  Bernard  Romans  records  (p.  305)  that  on  Septem- 
ber 21,  1 77 1,  after  leaving  Mobile  on  his  way  to  the  Chickasaw 
country. 

"Opaya  Mingo,  a  Chickasaw  warrior  of  our  train,  was  this 
morning  sick,  on  which  occasion  I  saw  one  of  his  companions  cut 
his  temple  with  a  flint,  and,  applying  a  cane  about  four  inches 
long  to  the  scarification,  sucked  it  till  he  nearly  filled  it  with 
blood,  then  threw  it  out,  and  repeated  it  several  times;  this  is 
something  like  cupping;  we  were  obliged  to  leave  these  two 
behind     *     *     *     " 

Though  the  name  thus  given  is  spelled  very  differently  from 
the  usual  way,  still  we  have  seen  how  differently  the  name  has 
been  spelled  by  various  writers,  and  I  believe  the  above  excerpt 
from  Romans  refers  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


We  are  not  surprised  therefore  to  learn  from  Putman  (p.  249) 
that  Piomingo,  the  head  warrior  and  chief  delegate  of  the  Chicka- 
saws,  and  his  associates  were  induced  by  General  James  Rob- 
ertson, the  founder  of  Nashville,  to  leave  their  homes  in  what  is 
now  north  Mississippi,  and  make  a  long  overland  journey  to 
Hopewell  on  the  Keowee,  in  the  present  State  of  South  Carolina, 
to  conclude  the  first  official  treaty  between  that  nation  and  the 
United  States. 

Speaking  of  Piomingo  Putman  says,  "He  loved  no  other 
white  man  as  he  did  General  Robertson,"  and  it  may  be  added 
that  General  Robertson  availed  himself  of  the  friendship  of 
Piomingo  to  induce  the  Chickasaws  to  enter  into  this  treaty,  and 
why?  For  the  obvious  reason  that  Robertson's  settlement, 
where  Nashville  now  is,  was  threatened  with  destruction  by  the 
powerful  Cherokee  and  Creek  nations,  and  he  wished  to  bind  to 
the  United  States  and  to  his  settlements  the  small  but  warlike 
Chickasaw  nation  in  whom  he  could  place  absolute  confidence, 
especially  as  long  as  the  Chickasaws  were  led  by  Piomingo. 

This  treaty  was  signed  on  January  20,  1786,  and  known  as  the 
treaty  of  Hopewell.     It  is  discussed  in  Chapter  X  of  this  volume. 

336 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  was  afterwards  approved  by  President  George  Washington, 
who  became  a  fast  friend  of  Piomingo. 


Five  years  after  the  treaty  of  Hopewell  with  the  Chickasaws, 
that  is,  in  1791,  the  depredations  of  the  Cherokees  and  Creeks  at 
the  instigations  of  the  Spaniards  threatened  the  very  existence 
of  the  settlement  of  Robertson  on  the  Cumberland.  There  is 
little  doubt  in  my  judgment,  as  well  as  that  of  others,  that  the 
settlement  would  have  been  entirely  destroyed  and  the  pioneers 
murdered  and  scalped,  but  for  the  restraining  influence  of  the 
small  Chickasaw  nation,  headed  by  Piomingo,  whose  principal 
abode  was  in  northern  Mississippi  some  hundreds  of  miles  from 
the  Cumberland  settlement. 

But  a  still  fiercer  conflict  was  then  going  on  north  of  the 
Ohio  River  between  the  Northwestern  Confederation  of  Indians 
and  renegade  whites,  under  the  leadership  of  Little  Turtle,  and 
the  regular  federal  army  under  the  leadership  of  Gen.  Arthur 
St.  Clair. 

The  prize  at  stake  was  the  princely  domain  of  what  we  now 
call  the  Northwestern  States,  beginning  with  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  and  embracing  contiguous  States,  the  very  heart  of  this 
continent  at  the  present  time. 

It  was  a  trial  of  strength  between  the  aborigines  on  the  one 
part,  and  that  of  the  white  man  on  the  other;  the  savage  against 
civilized  man. 

The  final  result  long  wavered  in  the  balance.  While  Rob- 
ertson, Blount,  and  others  importuned  the  government  at  Wash- 
ington for  interposition  and  protection  for  the  Cumberland 
settlement,  no  relief  came,  but  upon  the  contrary  they  were 
importuned  to  enlist  their  men  and  the  Chickasaw  Indians  to 
march  hundreds  of  miles  to  the  relief  of  General  St.  Clair,  then  in 
command  of  the  regular  army. 

So  far  as  the  Indians  were  concerned,  Putman  says  (p. 
362), 

337 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"The  scheme  proposed  was  to  offer  inducements  to  the 
Southern  Indians  to  join  the  American  army.  To  set  Indians 
to  fight  Indians;  Greek  to  meet  Greek,  dog  eat  dog,'  said  Rains, 
when  he  saw  two  rascals  fighting." 


This  resolution  was  not  reached  until  after  an  acrimonious 
discussion  among  the  white  people  at  large,  but  Putman  adds, 
"The  humanity  of  this  measure  was  condemned  by  at  least  one 
of  the  members  of  the  cabinet  at  Washington." 

All  honor  to  that  one  member. 

The  whites  held  back,  and  only  through  the  persuasion  of 
Governor  Blount  and  General  Robertson  a  small  force  was 
organized  and  marched,  but  the  Chickasaws  proved  more  sus- 
ceptible to  the  entreaties  of  the  whites,  for  Putman  says  (p.  362), 

"Consultations'  were  held  with  Piomingo,  the  Mountain 
Leader,  or  principal  chief  of  the  Chickasaw  nation,  about  sending 
some  warriors  to  join  the  army  of  the  United  States,  north  of  the 
Ohio.  He  was  informed  that  orders  had  been  received  from  the 
War  Department  to  enlist  soldiers  in  this  Territory,  to  be  marched 
to  Fort  Washington  or  Cincinnati,  and  that  it  would  be  agreeable 
to  the  Department  to  have  a  company  of  Chickasaws  marched 
to  the  same  point,  to  act  in  concert  with  the  United  States  troops. 
They  should  receive  the  same  rations  and  pay  as  others  in  the 
service.  Piomingo  engaged  to  command  a  company  of  forty  or 
fifty  Chickasaw  braves,  to  act  as  spies  or  render  other  services. 
He  came  with  them  to  the  residence  of  General  Robertson,  where 
they  were  more  fully  equipped,  commanded,  and  instructed. 
Thence  they  marched  to  join  General  St.  Clair." 

In  addition  Piomingo  was  assured  that  during  his  absence  his 
people  would  be  protected  from  the  incursions  of  their  enemies, 
but  this  promise  was  not  observed  and  with  the  consent  of  the 
commander  he  sent  back  about  one-half  of  his  followers  to  pro- 
tect those  at  home.  Putman  adds  that  Piomingo  and  his  followers 
being  disgusted  at  their  treatment  and  the  want  of  discipline  left 
for  their  homes  on  November  3,  1791,  and  on  the  next  day  Little 
Turtle,  chief  of  the  Miamis,  overwhelmingly  defeated  St.  Clair 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

at  Marys,  completely  routing  his  army,  leaving  six  hundred  slain, 
St.  Clair  losing  his  cannon  and  most  of  his  baggage. 

The  Northwestern  Confederation  of  Indians  was  greatly 
elated,  for  they  had  defeated  the  regular  army  commanded  by 
St.  Clair,  who  had  won  distinction  as  an  officer  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary army.  Their  plan  was  to  form  a  coalition  with  the 
Southern  Indians,  including  the  powerful  and  hostile  Cherokee, 
Creek,  and  Seminole  Indians,  and  thus  wipe  out  once  and  for  all 
time  the  white  invaders. 

George  Washington  to  Piomingo — 

The  outlook  for  the  entire  country  was  gloomy  and  fore- 
boding, and  President  Washington  shared  in  this  feeling  of 
uneasiness.  Fidelity  is  said  to  be  the  noblest  characteristic  of 
human  nature,  and  knowing  the  fidelity  of  Piomingo  we  are 
scarcely  surprised  to  find  hid  away  in  Class  II,  Indian  Affairs, 
page  249,  this  letter: 

"Message  from  the  Secretary  of  War  to  the  Chickasaw 
nation,  dated  17th  February,  1792. 

"To  Piomingo,  the  mountain  leader,  and  the  other  chiefs 
and  warriors  of  the  Chickasaw  nation. 
"Brothers: 

"Your  father,  General  Washington,  the  great  chief  and 
president  of  the  United  States,  has  commanded  me  to  send  you 
this  talk.  Receive  it,  therefore,  as  an  evidence  of  his  affection,  and 
the  affection  of  the  United  States  towards  the  Chickasaw  nation. 

"He  heartily  thanks  Piomingo  and  the  other  Chickasaw 

warriors  for  joining  our  troops  the  last  season.     *        *        * 
******  ***** 

"The  president  of  the  United  States  is  very  desirous  to 
reward  the  attachment  of  Piomingo  and  the  warriors  who  were 
with  him  at  Fort  Washington  (now  the  site  of  Cincinnati, Ohio), 
and  he  now  sends  to  Piomingo  and  two  other  principal  chiefs 
great  silver  medals,  and  each  a  suit  of  rich  uniform  clothes;  and 
further,  he  has  ordered  presents  to  be  sent  from  Fort  Washington 
to  the  Chickasaw  nation  generally,  of  such  articles  as  shall  be 
useful  to  them. 

339 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"The  Chickasaws  must  send  a  message  to  the  commanding 
officer  at  Fort  Washington,  giving  him  sufficient  notice  of  the 
time  when  and  the  place  where  they  will  receive  the  goods. 

"These  goods  are  sent  as  presents  and  as  an  evidence  of  the 
attachment  of  the  United  States  to  the  Chickasaws,  and  a 
reward  for  their  friendship. 

"If  Piomingo  should,  with  other  chiefs,  choose  to  join  their 
arms  with  ours  in  the  cause  of  the  next  campaign,  let  them  repair 
to  Fort  Washington  by  the  first  of  June  next,  where  they  shall 
be  well  armed,  well  fed,  and,  also,  after  the  campaign,  well 
rewarded  for  their  services,  in  money  or  goods,  as  they  shall  best 
like  it. 

"After  the  next  campaign,  our  beloved  chief,  General 
Washington,  invites  Piomingo  and  three  other  great  chiefs  to 
repair  to  Philadelphia.  He  wishes  to  convince  them  by  a  personal 
interview  how  desirous  he  is  of  promoting  the  happiness  of  the 
Chickasaws. 

"The  chiefs  who  shall  come  forward  shall  be  kindly  received, 
well  treated,  and  returned  to  their  own  country  enriched  with 
presents. 

"Given  at  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  etc." 


We  learn  from  Haywood  (p.  424)  that  the  Chickasaws  again 
responded  to  this  appeal,  sending  a  band  of  warriors  to  aid  the 
American  army  under  the  command  of  General  "Mad"  Anthony 
Wayne,  who  had  succeeded  General  St.  Clair,  and  who  finally 
defeated  and  routed  the  Northwestern  Indians  under  Little 
Turtle,  on  August  20,  1794,  at  the  battle  of  the  Fallen  Timbers, 
near  the  falls  of  the  Maumee.  This  decisive  defeat,  supple- 
mented by  the  treaty  of  Greenville  on  August  3,  1795,  resulted  in 
the  opening  of  the  Northwest  to  civilization. 

Piomingo  at  the  Nashville  Conference,  1792— 

7  ^  fijfVuiC  Commencing  on  page  284  (ibid)  there  is  given  an  account 
of  the  noted  conference  near  Nashville,  commencing  August  7, 
1792,  between  Wm.  Blount,  Governor,  etc.,  Brig.-General 
Andrew  Pickens  on  the  one  part,  and  Chenambe,  king  of  the 

340 


'.vf-* 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Chickasaws,  Piomingo,  Wolf's  Friend,  and  representatives  of 
the  Cherokee  nation.  Governor  Blount  spoke  to  the  headmen 
and  chief  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  addressing  them  as 
friends  and  brothers,  and  among  other  things  said : 

"Another  object  is  publicly  to  present  Piomingo,  the  Col- 
berts, and  their  followers,  who  joined  the  arms  of  the  United 
States  of  last  year,  and  fought  against  their  enemies,  hearty  and 
sincere  thanks  for  their  services,  and  to  present  them  each  with 
a  rifle." 

Gov.  Blount  declared  that  they  did  not  want  the  land  of  the 
red  men,  although  that  report  had  been  put  out  by  Indians  not 
friendly  to  the  United  States.  Wolf's  Friend  made  a  very  vigo- 
rous reply  and  under  a  parenthesis  this  appears  (ibid)  on  page 

285: 

"Wolf's  Friend  meant  thus  to  give  his  dissent  to  the  estab- 
lishing of  a  post  at  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek,  as  agreed  by  the 
treaty  of  Hopewell.  Since  his  arrival  on  the  conference  ground, 
he  had  repeatedly  told  his  people  and  the  Choctaws  that  the 
Americans  had  hard  shoes,  and  if  they  permitted  them  to  estab- 
lish that  post,  they  would  tread  upon  their  toes.  Knowing  that 
he  had  made  use  of  these  arguments  was  the  inducement  for 
speaking  in  such  positive  terms  that  trade  would  shortly  be 
afforded  from  that  place,  hoping  that  would  be  an  inducement 
sufficient  for  him  to  agree  to  it.  Wolf's  Friend  is  a  great 
man:  in  council  ranks  among  the  first  of  his  nation;  has  a 
considerable  property,  is  a  large  man,  of  a  dignified  appear- 
ance; he  appeared  at  the  conference  in  scarlet  and  silver  lace, 
and  in  the  heat  of  the  day  with  a  large  crimson  silk  umbrella 
over  him." 

Piomingo  was  the  principal  speaker  on  behalf  of  the  Chicka- 
saw Indians.  What  he  had  to  say  was  brief,  but  very  pointed. 
Upon  page  286  in  a  few  words  he  gave  a  remarkably  accurate 
description  of  the  boundaries  of  the  country  belonging  to  the 
Chickasaw  nation,  in  these  words: 

341 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Piomingo.  I  will  describe  the  boundaries  of  our  lands; 
It  begins  on  the  Ohio  at  the  ridge  which  divides  the  waters  of 
Tennessee  and  Cumberland,  and  extends  with  that  ridge  east- 
wardly  as  far  as  the  most  eastern  waters  of  Elk  River ;  thence  to 
the  Tennessee,  at  an  old  field,  where  a  part  of  the  Chickasaws 
formerly  lived,  this  line  to  be  so  run  as  to  include  all  the  waters 
of  Elk  River,  thence  across  the  Tennessee  and  a  neck  of  land  to 
Tenchacunda  Creek,  a  southern  branch  of  the  Tennessee,  and 
up  the  same  to  its  source;  then  to  the  waters  of  Tombigby,  that 
is,  to  the  west  fork  of  Long  Leaf  Pine  Creek,  and  down  it  to  the 
line  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  a  little  below  the  trading 
road." 

*  ******* 

He  said  further : 

"I  want  no  long  talk  on  the  subject;  the  Cherokees  are 
bloodthirsty;  they  never  go  out  but  they  bloody  their  weapons  in 
the  white  people,  and  I  knew  the  whites,  in  retaliation,  would 
take  their  land;  this  I  have  before  said,  and  for  fear  they  should 
take  mine,  supposing  it  to  be  the  Cherokees',  is  my  reason  for 
explaining  the  boundary." 


It  will  be  noted  that  Governor  Blount  was  careful  to  assure 
the  Chickasaws  that  the  white  men  did  not  want  the  land  of  the 
red  men,  although  he  added  that  report  had  been  put  out  by 
those  unfriendly  to  the  United  States.  We  learn  from  Haywood 
(P-  33°)  that  General  Pickens  said  to  the  Chickasaws:  "We 
shall  look  upon  it  that  your  enemies  are  ours  and  ours  yours." 

These  assurances  were  thus  given  in  plain  and  unmistakable 
language;  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  these  assurance  were  sub- 
sequently repudiated  over  and  over  again  by  the  whites. 


It  may  here  be  noted  also  that  in  a  letter  addressed  to  the 
Chickasaws  (3  Amr.  His.  Mag.  (Tennessee),  p.  350,  also  4  ibid, 
p.  94)  President  Washington  on  July  21,  1794,  confirmed  the 


342 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

boundaries  of  the  Chickasaws  as  above  defined  by  Piomingo; 
and  Haywood  (p.  425)  states  that  President  Washington  de- 
livered his  letter  to  Piomingo  in  person. 

Piomingo  Left  to  His  Fate— 

During  these  trying  times,  when  Americans  were  not  living 
up  to  the  promises  so  often  made  to  the  Chickasaws,  it  should 
also  be  remembered  that  they  were  sorely  tempted  to  enlist 
under  the  Spanish  flag,  but  fidelity  to  their  word  forbade  such  a 
course.  Thus,  Drake  (p.  402)  states  that  in  1793  the  Spaniards 
made  large  offers  to  the  Chickasaws  to  induce  them  to  forsake 
the  Americans,  but  that  these  offers  were  treated  with  contempt 
by  Piomingo. 

The  Chickasaws  under  the  leadership  of  Piomingo  by  going 
first  to  the  assistance  of  General  St.  Clair  in  1791,  and  in  sub- 
sequent campaigns  under  General  Wayne  north  of  the  Ohio, 
incurred  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees,  who 
were  in  deep  sympathy  with  the  purpose  of  Little  Turtle  and  his 
followers  to  completely  destroy  the  white  settlers. 

A  superficial  glance  at  the  recorded  murders,  assassinations, 
robberies  and  like  crimes  committed  by  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees 
on  the  Cumberland  settlements  is  a  sickening  record,  and  these 
acts  of  barbarism  were  continued  through  a  course  of  years, 
growing  worse  after  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair  in  1791  and  until 
peace  was  declared  following  the  defeat  of  Little  Turtle. 

Piomingo  was  especially  marked  out  for  assassination  or 
destruction  by  some  means  fair  or  foul ;  and  for  a  long  time  it  was 
supposed  that  he  was  dead.  While  gloom  was  hanging  over  the 
whites,  Putman  announces  the  reappearance  of  Piomingo  in 
these  words ! 

"But  here  is  our  old  friend  Piomingo,  the  Mountain  Leader 
of  the  Chickasaws,  redivivus!  The  report  and  belief  of  the  last 
fall  was  that  he  had  been  killed  by  the  Creeks,  and  that  his  young 
warriors,  in  seeking  for  retaliation,  had  killed  a  Cherokee  instead 
of  a  Creek,  which  act  the  Cherokees  proposed  to  let  pass  un- 

343 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

avenged,  if  the  Chickasaws  would  unite  with  them  in  war  against 
the  Creeks.  The  life  of  Piomingo  had  been  threatened  by  the 
Shawnees  and  Creeks.  He  had  been  hunted  as  a  partridge  on  the 
mountain,  and  his  absence  had  given  currency  to  the  report  that 
he  had  been  killed." 

Instead  of  espousing  the  cause  of  Piomingo,  the  whites, 
acting  under  instructions  from  Washington,  were  endeavoring 
to  placate  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees,  who  were  even  then  de- 
ceiving President  Washington  and  plotting  to  destroy  the  Chick- 
asaws. 

Haywood  says : 

'The  sympathies  of  the  white  people,  and  their  good  wishes, 
were  enlisted  on  the  side  of  the  Chickasaws.  A  strong  disposition 
prevailed  among  all  ranks  to  aid  the  Chickasaws  rather  than 
suffer  their  extirpation  by  the  Creeks.  The  latter,  without  inter- 
mission, had  spilled  the  blood  of  the  white  people  for  twenty 
years,  and  now  were  levying  war  against  the  only  red  people 
upon  earth  who  were  friends  of  the  United  States,  and  who  had 
lately  fought  by  their  sides  in  the  army  of  General  Wayne  and 
in  two  preceding  campaigns,  and  had  shed  their  blood  in  defence 
of  the  white  people.  They  had  become  the  objects  of  Creek 
vengeance  for  their  partiality  to  white  men.  The  public  voice 
called  loudly  for  assistance  to  be  sent  to  them." 

Only  the  year  previous,  that  is,  in  1794,  Piomingo  had  visited 
President  Washington  and  Putman  (p.  525)  says: 

"He  received  pledges  of  friendship  from  the  head  of  the 
government,  attention  from  the  heads  of  departments,  was 
'Nock-en-e-ized',  or  as  we  say  lionized,  made  a  big  man  of,  clothed, 
dubbed  with  a  title,  loaded  with  presents,  and  sent  on  his  way  to 
his  nation  a  gratified  Indian." 

In  the  succeeding  year  Piomingo  and  his  nation  being 
threatened  with  extermination  by  their  Indian  enemies,  how 
natural  was  it  for  him  to  appeal  to  President  Washington? 

344 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  the  meantime,  that  is,  in  May,  1795,  the  Spaniards  under 
Governor  Gayoso  had  crossed  the  Mississippi  from  Fort  Esper- 
anza,  and  completed  the  building  of  a  Spanish  fort  which  he 
named  Fort  San  Fernando,  after  the  king  of  Spain.  Against  this 
aggression  Piomingo  vigorously  protested,  and  on  July  10,  1795, 
Governor  Gayoso  wrote  a  letter  of  friendship  to  Piomingo,  seek- 
ing to  explain  that  all  of  his  purposes  were  friendly  to  him  and 
his  people.  Piomingo  promptly  forwarded  this  letter  to  General 
Robertson,  who  in  turn  forwarded  it  to  Washington. 

On  August  22,  1795,  President  Washington  delivered  to  a 
deputation  of  Chickasaws  a  "talk,"  a  copy  of  which,  bearing 
his  veritable  signature  thereto,  was  sent  to  General  Rob- 
ertson. 

Two  paragraphs  (Putman  p.  512)  are  as  follows: 

"My  children:  I  sincerely  regret  the  difficulties  in  which 
you  are  involved  by  the  mistaken  opinions  which  have  been 
entertained  of  the  intentions  and  obligations  of  the  United 
States  to  interfere  in  the  disputes  of  the  Indian  nations  among 
one  another,  unless  as  friends  to  both  parties,  to  reconcile  them. 
In  this  way  I  shall  do  everything  in  my  power  to  serve  the  Chick- 
asaw nation.  The  Commissioners  at  the  conference  at  Nashville 
had  no  authority  to  promise  any  other  interference.  General 
Robertson  did  wrong  in  telling  your  nation,  last  year,  that  he 
expected  the  United  States  would  send  an  army  against  the 
Creeks  this  summer.  Your  strong  expectation  of  seeing  such  an 
army,  and  probably  other  encouragements  of  support,  may  have 
led  you  to  strike  the  Creeks,  which  now  occasions  so  much  dis- 
tress. It  seems,  also,  that  the  commissions  which  were  given  to 
a  number  of  the  Chickasaw  chiefs  were  not  truly  interpreted. 
They  were  expressly  confined  to  operations  against  the  Indians 
northwest  of  the  Ohio. 

"The  act  of  the  Spaniards  in  taking  possession  of  the  Chicka- 
saw Bluffs  is  an  unwarrantable  aggression,  as  well  against  the 
United  States  as  the  Chickasaws,  to  whom  the  land  there  belongs. 
I  shall  send  talks,  and  do  what  else  shall  appear  to  me  proper,  to 
induce  the  Spanish  king,  or  his  governor,  to  remove  their  people 
from  that  station,  and  to  make  no  more  encroachments  on  your 
lands." 

345 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  deep  disappointment  not  to  say  chagrin  justly  felt  by 
Piomingo  is  not  recorded.  He  bore  his  deep  disappointment  with 
that  fortitude  and  philosophy  so  characteristic  of  the  North 
American  Indian.  Piomingo  and  his  people  were  thus  left  to 
their  fate,  although  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  General  Robertson, 
though  forbidden  to  take  the  field  for  the  Chickasaws,  he  rendered 
every  assistance  in  his  power  otherwise  to  mitigate  their  perilous 
situation. 

It  may  not  be  inappropriate  here  to  note  that  General 
Robertson  died  at  the  Chickasaw  agency  in  west  Tennessee, 
September  I,  1814,  among  the  Chickasaws,  who  loved  him  so 
well,  and  to  whose  welfare  he  was  ever  devoted. 

In  1825  his  remains  were  reinterred  at  Nashville  with 
marked  honors  by  the  people,  and  Judge  Haywood,  the  State 
historian,  delivered  an  appropriate  eulogy  upon  his  life  and 
character  (Putman,  p.  18). 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  I  find  that  President  Roose- 
velt in  his  Winning  of  the  West  (V.  p.  304)  says  that : 

"To  its  shame  and  discredit,  the  United  States  at  first  pro- 
posed to  repeat  towards  the  Chickasaws  the  treachery  of  which 
the  British  had  just  been  guilty  to  the  Northern  Indians;  for  it 
refused  to  defend  them  from  the  Creeks,  against  whom  they 
had  been  acting,  partly  it  is  true  for  their  own  ends,  but 
partly  in  the  interest  of  the  settlers.  The  frontiersmen, 
however,  took  a  much  more  just  and  generous  view  of  the 
affair." 

And  speaking  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  under  the  name  of 
Opiamingo  (Vol.  I,  p.  32),  Mr.  Roosevelt  says  he  was  the  most 
noted  war  chief  among  the  Chickasaws. 

Victory  for  the  Unconquerable  Chickasaws— 

The  Creeks  pretending  to  desire  peace  with  the  Chickasaws, 
General  Robertson  went  in  person  to  the  Chickasaws  to  provide 
for  a  release  of  prisoners  then  held  by  the  Chickasaws.    He  had 

346 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

scarcely  performed  the  duties  of  this  mission  and  returned 
home,  when  he  was  doubtless  greatly  surprised  to  receive  from 
Piomingo  an  account  written,  as  Putman  says  (p.  526),  by  his 
white  secretary. 

Haywood  (p.  461)  thus  succinctly  summarizes  the  complete 
and  just  victory  of  the  Chickasaws  over  their  enemies. 

"On  the  29th  of  September  Piomingo,  by  letter,  communi- 
cated to  General  Robertson  an  affair  which  had  recently  taken 
place  between  the  belligerents.  About  a  thousand  Creeks  had 
come  to  break  up  the  Chickasaw  nation.  They  brought  white 
people  with  them,  and  drums  and  ammunition  for  a  long  siege. 
A  great  number  of  them  were  on  horseback.  As  they  gave  way, 
the  warriors  of  Big  Town  attacked  them  and  put  them  to  the 
rout.  The  Chickasaws  pursued  them  about  five  miles,  their 
horsemen  upon  the  flank  and  their  foot  upon  the  rear.  The 
Chickasaws  took  from  them  all  their  baggage  and  clothing, 
except  their  flaps,  the  only  clothes  they  had  on  when  they  began 
the  attack.  The  baggage  consisted  of  their  blankets  and  other 
clothing,  except  their  flaps,  their  ammunition,  kettles,  and  their 
provisions.  The  loss  of  the  Chickasaws  was  six  men  killed  and 
one  woman.  Of  the  Creeks  were  found  twenty-six  men  killed, 
and  many  more  must  have  been  wounded.  About  two  hundred 
Chickasaws  were  engaged  in  defeating  this  great  army  of  the 
Creeks.  In  a  few  days  afterwards  the  Chickasaws  presented  a 
memorial  to  the  Creek  nation.  In  it  they  accuse  the  Creeks  of 
perfidy  in  coming  to  attack  them  when  General  Robertson  was 
there  obtaining  the  prisoners  from  the  Chickasaws  which  they 
had  agreed  to  deliver. 

''General  Robertson,  they  said,  believed  that  the  Creeks 
were  in  earnest  for  peace,  but  the  next  morning  he  heard  their 
guns.  If  you  want  peace,  send  your  flag;  your  prisoners  shall 
come.  The  Mad  Dog,  in  council,  said  they  had  no  tongue  for 
peace,  but  the  Creeks  had  not  lost  the  use  of  their  legs,  for  the 
Chickasaw  horses  had  not  been  able  to  overtake  them.  They 
had  not  pursued  far,  for  they  returned  to  consult  with  General 
Robertson  on  the  peace  which  they  so  much  desired.  We  are 
willing  for  peace,  said  the  Chickasaws,  but  not  afraid  of  war. 
If  you  thirst  for  blood,  we  will  sell  ourselves  dearly.  They  set 
forth  the  advantages  and  blessings  of  peace,  and  the  madness  of 

347 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

rushing  into  war.  We  are  a  small  nation,  and  the  Creeks  have 
long  insulted  us.  If  war  continue,  we  will  send  out  our  war 
parties  and  head  them,  but  we  seek  sincerely  for  peace.  They 
finally  besought  to  bury  in  oblivion  all  former  heart  burn- 
ings." 

Piomingo  and  Governor  Gayoso— 

Having  reached  that  time  in  the  career  of  Piomingo  when  he 
appears  for  the  last  time,  so  far  as  my  researches  have  extended, 
and  as  he  was  the  representative  of  the  Chickasaws,  and  to  a 
large  extent  also  of  the  United  States  in  the  dispute  between 
Spain  and  America  as  to  which  was  entitled  to  sovereignty  over 
the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  while  His  Excellency  Manuel  Gayoso  De 
Lemos,  governor  general  of  Louisiana  and  west  Florida,  rep- 
resented the  king  of  Spain,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  give  a 
pen  picture  of  that  distinguished  governor,  and  skilled  diplomat, 
who  matched  his  skill  against  the  unlettered  Chickasaw  chief. 

It  will  be  recalled  that  the  Spaniards  under  Gayoso  had 
commenced  the  erection  of  a  fort  on  the  present  site  of  Memphis 
in  1795,  against  which  Piomingo  protested.  It  seems  that  a  very 
influential  chief  of  the  Chickasaws,  known  as  Wolf's  Friend, 
had  been  won  over  to  the  Spanish  side  by  Gayoso,  and  that 
Wolf's  Friend  had  assumed  on  the  part  of  the  Chickasaws  to 
sell  to  the  Spaniards  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife  Gayoso  thus  describes  the  manner  in 
which  he  took  possession  of  the  Bluffs  on  May  30,  1795. 

"Yesterday  I  passed  from  my  post  of  Esperanza  (then  the 
Spanish  name  for  Hopefield)  over  to  the  Chicacha  Bluffs,  where 
I  now  write.  I  hoisted  the  king's  flag  and  saluted  it  in  the  most 
brilliant  manner  from  the  flotilla  and  the  battery.  It  being  St. 
Ferdinand's  day  (the  name  of  my  Prince),  I  gave  the  post  that 
name.  It  was  a  pleasant  day,  and  withal  my  birthday,  and 
nothing  was  wanting  to  complete  my  happiness  but  your  pres- 
ence. 

"The  chiefs  are  to  visit  me  tomorrow,  and  then  I  shall  count 
the  days,  the  hours,  and  moments  until  I  can  be  with  you." 

348 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

This  is  a  gay  picture,  and  though  it  may  be  thought  some- 
what out  of  place  here,  I  can  not  forbear  to  insert  here  that 
Gayoso  is  said  to  have  died  July  18,  1799,  and  in  1  Monette,  p. 
544,  there  is  a  quotation  from  Ellicott's  Journal  (pp.  215,  216) 
giving  the  estimate  placed  by  Ellicott  upon  the  character  of 
Gayoso,  as  follows: 

"As  the  governor  of  an  arbitrary  monarch,  he  was  certainly 
entitled  to  great  merit.  It  appeared,  in  an  eminent  degree,  to  be 
his  pride  to  render  the  situation  of  those  over  whom  he  was 
appointed  to  preside  as  easy  and  comfortable  as  possible;  and 
in  a  particular  manner  he  directed  his  attention  to  the  improve- 
ment of  the  country  by  opening  roads,  which  he  considered  the 
arteries  of  commerce.  He  was  educated  in  Great  Britain,  and 
retained  to  a  considerable  degree,  until  his  death,  the  manners 
and  customs  of  that  nation,  especially  in  his  style  of  living.  In 
his  conversation  he  was  easy  and  affable,  and  his  politeness  was 
of  that  superior  cast  which  showed  it  to  be  the  effect  of  early 
habit,  rather  than  an  accomplishment  merely  intended  to  render 
him  agreeable. 

"His  passions  were  naturally  so  strong,  and  his  temper  so 
remarkably  quick,  that  they  sometimes  hurried  him  into  difficul- 
ties from  which  he  was  not  easily  extricated.  It  was  frequently 
remarked  of  him,  as  a  singularity,  that  he  was  neither  concerned 
in  traffic,  nor  in  the  habit  of  taking  douceurs,  which  was  too 
frequently  the  case  with  other  officers  of  his  Catholic  majesty 
in  Louisiana.  He  was  fond  of  show  and  parade,  in  which  he  in- 
dulged to  the  great  injury  of  his  fortune,  and  not  a  little  to  his 
reputation  as  a  good  paymaster.  He  was  a  tender  husband,  an 
affectionate  parent,  and  a  good  master." 


Notwithstanding  the  natural  ability  and  great  accomplish- 
ments of  Gayoso,  Piomingo  withstood  all  of  his  blandishments 
and  arts  of  diplomacy,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  forwarded  to  General 
Robertson,  July  10,  1795,  the  letter  of  Gayoso. 

The  fidelity  of  Piomingo  to  his  word  of  friendship  to  General 
Robertson,  and  through  him  to  the  United  States,  at  the  very 
time  when  this  country  had  left  him  practically  to  a  fate  which 

349 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

he  thought  would  probably  end  in  his  death  and  the  destruction 
of  his  people,  is  worthy  of  the  profoundest  admiration. 

Haywood  (p.  459)  quotes  Piomingo  as  saying  to  General 
Robertson,  "But  you  shall  hear  that  I  died  like  a  man." 

Fortunately,  however,  as  we  have  seen,  on  September  29, 
J795»  two  hundred  Chickasaws  completely  vanquished  a  Creek 
army  of  one  thousand  warriors,  who  had  in  reserve  another  one 
thousand  fighting  men ;  and  thus  to  the  end  this  small  but  intrepid 
nation  sustained  the  soubriquet  of  the  unconquerable  Chickasaws. 

The  Last  Public  Appearance  of  Piomingo— 

After  the  Chickasaws  had  thrust  back  the  Creeks  in  the 
signal  defeat  mentioned,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  why  the 
United  States  did  not  take  possession  of  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  and 
oust  the  Spaniards  and  destroy  their  fort. 

A  vacillating  policy  was  pursued  by  the  United  States 
government  for  near  two  years,  but  finally  Major  Isaac  Guion 
was  selected  as  the  military  and  diplomatic  agent  of  the  United 
States  to  secure  the  final  evacuation  of  various  Spanish  forts  east 
of  the  Mississippi  River,  including  that  of  San  Fernando  erected 
on  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs  in  1795. 

He  left  Fort  Washington  (where  Cincinnati  now  is)  with  a 
detachment  of  United  States  troops,  and  reached  the  Chickasaw 
Bluffs  in  July,  1797,  arrangements  having  been  previously  made 
for  Piomingo  and  the  Chickasaws  to  meet  him  upon  his  arrival. 

"He  was  directed  to  sail  with  the  flag  conspicuously  dis- 
played, notifying  any  Spanish  post  of  his  approach  and  offer  the 
exchange  salute  for  salute  but  stop  for  nothing  but  an  official 
order  or  menace,  in  which  case  he  was  to  deliver  a  protest  and 
either  return  or  take  a  position  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States  and  to  defend  it  to  the  last  extremity."  (7th  and  8th 
Ann.  Repts.  Miss.,  1908-1909,  p.  26.) 

He  was  the  first  to  hoist  the  Stars  and  Stripes  upon  the 
Chickasaw   Bluffs,   and   soon  erected   the   first  American   fort, 

350 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

which  he  named  Fort  Adams.  Piomingo,  now  advanced  in  years, 
was  erroneously  called  king  of  the  Chickasaws  by  Guion,  who 
states  that  Piomingo  was  detained  to  defend  his  town  against  his 
old  enemies  the  Creeks,  and  did  not  arrive  until  August  10,  1797, 
and  two  days  thereafter  there  also  arrived  Wolf's  Friend,  the 
wily  but  able  chief  attached  to  the  Spanish  cause,  and  soon 
afterwards  there  also  arrived  William  Colbert,  the  noted  half-  / 
breed  Chickasaw  chief.  ' 

Guion  determined  to  have  in  the  present  day  expressive 
language  of  the  street,  a  "show-down,"  and  accordingly  invited 
Colonel  Charles  Howard,  in  command  of  the  Spanish  troops 
across  the  river,  to  attend  with  his  staff  a  meeting  to  be  held  on 
the  Bluffs,  September  16,  1797,  and  in  his  journal  thus  states 
what  occurred : 

"On  the  1 6th  we  met  and  Colonel  Howard  came  over  with 
two  of  his  officers,  made  a  great  many  apologies,  as  it  was  only  to 
gratify  the  Wolf's  Friend  who  had,  he  said,  insisted  on  his 
presence,  and  begged  that  when  they  distributed  their  presents, 
I  would  come  over  and  be  a  witness  in  like  manner,  which  I 
instantly  declined,  observing  that  I  had  no  manner  of  objection 
to  his  being  present  at  what  was  to  be  said  or  done  here,  that  I 
had  very  little  to  say  to  them  more  than  to  recommend  them  to 
live  peaceably  among  themselves,  and  in  good  neighborhood  with 
the  Indians  and  subjects  in  the  Spanish  territory.  William 
Colbert,  who  anticipated  the  Wolf's  Friend's  design,  began  with 
an  animated  and  bold  talk;  he  told  that  chief  he  knew  his  in- 
tention was,  if  possible,  to  turn  us  away  and  replace  his  friends 
the  Spaniards;  but  this  should  not  be  while  he  was  living;  that 
the  works  we  were  beginning  were  done  with  his  consent  and  his 
people's,  and  wished  to  know  who  was  the  chief  man  in  his 
nation  that  should  make  nothing  of  his  promise.  That  when  we 
were  satisfied  staying,  or  doing  anything  on  that  ground,  we  might 
at  our  pleasure  go,  but  not  before ;  that  he  had  heard  that  the 
Wolf's  Friend  had  talked  of  force,  but  that  he  would  do  well  to 
recollect  who  were  the  warriors  of  his  nation ;  that  before  the 
Americans  should  be  forced  from  this  ground,  he  would  be  killed 
by  their  side  and  buried  here.  This  strong  talk,  seconded  by  a 
short  but  strong  one  from  Piomingo,  sealed  up  the  great  orator's 

351 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

mouth  and  confounded  the  Spanish  visitants  who  came  prepared 
to  hear  everything  else.  Thus  the  conference  ended;  and  the 
day  following  the  goods  were  displayed  and  given  to  them. 

"The  liberality  of  the  supply,  the  superior  quality  of  the 
goods  at  once  surprised  and  contented  all  present ;  especially  after 
the  Spaniards  had  made  their  donation,  which  was  not  more  than 
one-fourth  part  as  much  in  woolens  and  linens;  and  the  remain- 
der of  tinseled  frippery,  ridiculed  and  treated  with  contempt  by 
Piomingo.  I  heard  no  word  of  dissatisfaction  from  any  of  them 
after  this,  all  desirous  of  our  stay,  willing  that  we  should  put  up 
what  works  we  pleased." 


I  will  add  that  William  Colbert  had,  in  one  of  the  expeditions 
north  of  the  Ohio,  led  the  Chickasaws  who  went  there  at  the 
solicitation  of  President  Washington  to  aid  General  St.  Clair, 
and  afterwards  General  Wayne,  in  their  campaigns  against  Little 
Turtle,  commanding  the  Northwestern  Confederation  of  In- 
dians, Piomingo  having  led  the  first  band  of  Chickasaws. 

In  the  war  of  1812  Colbert  served  nine  months  in  the  regular 
infantry,  and  upon  his  return  he  led  a  party  of  his  warriors 
against  the  hostile  Creeks,  whom  he  pursued  from  Pensacola 
almost  to  Apalachicola,  killing  many  and  bringing  back  eighty- 
five  prisoners  to  Montgomery,  Alabama.  He  was  styled  a 
general  when  he  visited  Washington  at  the  head  of  a  Chickasaw 
delegation  in  18 16. 

In  his  autobiography  (p.  294)  President  Van  Buren  states 
that  many  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  fought  by  the  side 
of  General  Jackson  in  the  famous  battle  of  the  Horse  Shoe. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  here  that  in  this  same  letter  Major 
Guion  states  that  there  were  then  (1797)  only  four  white  families 
on  the  Bluffs,  and  that  they  had  only  come  there  two  and  three 
years  previous  thereto. 

The  most  conspicuous  of  the  white  men  was  Kenneth 
Ferguson,  a  Scotchman,  a  decided  Spanish  subject,  and  connected 
with  the  house  of  Panton  &  Lesley,  of  Pensacola,  and  was  the 

352 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

same  alluded  to  in  the  Wolf's  Friend  letter  of  the  2nd  of  April. 
Ferguson  was  extensively  engaged  in  the  Indian  trade,  and  was 
placed  there  by  Governor  Gayoso  for  the  special  purpose  of 
winning  over  the  Chickasaws  to  the  Spanish  cause. 

The  other  man  of  importance  was  William  Mizell,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  supposed  to  have  followed  the  fortune  of  the 
British  arms  in  the  late  war,  as  he  was  in  Pensacola  when  the 
Spaniards  took  that  place.  Guion  adds  that  Mizell  was  an  in- 
offensive man,  that  he  was  no  friend  to  the  Spaniards,  and  had 
been  of  much  service  in  interpreting  for  the  Chickasaws,  among 
whom  he  had  lived  for  sixteen  years.  He  was  furnished  some 
rations  and  Guion  promised  to  mention  him  to  the  Secretary  of 
War,  in  order  that  if  he  judged  it  proper,  Mizell  might  receive 
some  reward  for  his  services. 

This  is  the  same  Mizell  that  Piomingo  referred  to  in  a  letter 
of  September  I,  1795,  to  General  Robertson,  asking  that  Mizell 
be  appointed  as  his  interpreter,  as  he  was  in  every  way  com- 
petent to  attend  to  their  business. 

Guion  also  recorded: 

"John  Brown  and  his  brother,  both  steady  good  Chickasaws, 
have  requested  me  to  call  your  recollection  to  a  claim  their 
nation  has  on  ten  miles  square  of  lands  in  the  State  of  South 
Carolina  opposite  Augusta  on  the  Savannah  River  and  Horse 
Creek;  they  say  that  the  Secretary  of  War  has  a  plat  of  the 
land  in  question,  and  that  they  wish  for  some  decision  on  this 
business.  That  Governor  Blount  had  promised  them  his  good 
offices  in  this  affair,  but  hearing  of  his  defeat,  they  applied  to  the 
executive  through  me." 

Here  we  are  reminded  that  the  Chickasaws  had  put  in  this 
claim  previously  in  1795,  precisely  as  the  Brown  brothers  stated 
to  Guion;  and  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Chickasaws  at  one  time  lived 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  near  Savannah,  or  at  least  a  part  of  them 
lived  there.  As  I  have  not  seen  any  further  reference  to  this 
claim,  the  probability  is  that  it  was  "pigeonholed,"  and  allowed  a 
peaceful  demise. 

353 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

As  to  the  Family  of  Piomingo,  Etc.— 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  little  is  known  with  respect  to 
the  family  of  Piomingo,  which  may  be  accounted  for  in  part 
because  at  that  early  day  the  home  of  the  Chickasaws  was  far 
from  white  settlements,  and  the  further  fact  that  every  Chicka- 
saw was  judged  on  his  or  her  own  merits,  and  did  not  shine  in  the 
reflected  glory  of  some  distinguished  relative,  a  rule  of  social  life 
which  more  pretentious  civilized  people  might  well  follow. 

We  learn  from  Putman  (p.  524)  that  the  wife  of  Piomingo  was 
a  tall  Indian  woman,  named  Molle-tulla,  and  that  women  of  her 
rank  wore  a  sack  long  enough  to  hide  the  strip  of  stroud  or  baize 
around  the  waist  and  hips,  with  moccasins  and  leggins  ornamented 
by  beads  and  tinkling  bells.  The  hair  was  braided  and  hung 
down  the  back  like  a  mandarin's.  When  Piomingo  was  greatly 
honored  by  the  president,  General  Robertson  had  instructions  to 
equip  the  wife  of  Piomingo  with  clothing  and  ornaments.  As  to 
the  children  of  Piomingo  we  know  little,  except  that  he  had  a 
son  who  is  mentioned  more  than  once  as  a  messenger  between 
his  father  and  the  Little  Turkey,  a  noted  Cherokee  chief  who  was 
the  uncle  of  Piomingo.  When  in  the  noted  conferences  at  Nash- 
ville in  1792  the  boundaries  of  the  Chickasaw  country  were 
defined  by  Piomingo  and  objections  were  interposed  by  some 
Cherokees,  Piomingo  promptly  replied  that  when  his  uncle,  the 
Little  Turkey,  was  informed  that  the  Cherokees  should  have  the 
privilege  of  hunting  on  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  Chickasaws, 
he  would  be  entirely  satisfied.  Upon  various  occasions  the  Little 
Turkey  spoke  of  his  nephew,  the  Mountain  Leader,  in  terms  of 
equal  confidence  and  respect.  When  we  remember  that  the 
Cherokees  and  Chickasaws  were  often  at  war  the  one  with  the 
other,  it  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  these  two  chiefs  that  their 
personal  relations  appear  always  to  have  remained  most  cordial, 
though  each  was  loyal  to  the  last  degree  to  his  own  people. 

In  a  letter  of  William  Blount  to  General  Robertson  of  Sep- 
tember 10,  1795,  it  is  stated  that  Piomingo  in  a  letter  to  President 
Washington   had  requested  the  president  would  take  into  con- 

354 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

sideration  his  children,  and  particularly  his  daughter,  whom  he 
wished  to  be  taught  to  read  and  write;  and  his  request  was 
granted,  under  the  limitation  that  no  permanent  order  would  be 
made  until  the  probable  expense  had  been  reported.  From  the 
solicitude  thus  manifested  by  the  great  Chickasaw  chief  for  the 
future  welfare  of  his  children,  we  may  be  assured  that  he  was  a 
kind  and  indulgent  father. 


Piomingo  was  honored  in  various  ways;  thus  we  learn  in  a 
letter  of  David  Henly,  United  States  agent,  to  Captain  Gordon,  of 
September  26, 1795,  that  Gordon  had  been  appointed  to  command 
the  boat  Opiomingo,  loaded  with  goods  consisting  of  calicos, 
woolens,  lead,  powder,  etc.,  being  a  present  from  the  president  of 
the  United  States  to  the  chiefs  and  Chickasaw  nation.  John 
Overton  was  placed  in  charge,  with  directions  to  land  the  goods 
at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 

When  Mr.  Charles  D.  Johnston  of  the  Cossitt  Library 
handed  me  for  examination  Imlay's  topographical  description  of 
the  Western  territory  and  particularly  of  Kentucky,  which  was 
brought  out  in  1792,  he  also  handed  me  a  detached  old  map, 
which  he  supposed  was  a  part  of  Imlay's  work.  It  had  thereon 
this  inscription: 

"London,  published  as  the  act  directs,  December  27,  1794, 
by  H.  D.  Symonds,  No.  20  Paternoster  Row." 

From  the  dates  I  do  not  think  the  map  belongs  to  the  book. 
The  map  appears  to  be  a  good  representation  of  the  new  Kentucky 
country  and  adjoining  territories  down  to  and  including  the  great 
bend  in  the  Tennessee  River,  embracing  the  Mussel  shoals, 
together  with  many  of  the  traces  or  roads  in  use  through  the 
country  represented. 

Only  two  of  these  traces  reach  down  into  what  is  now  Tennes- 
see. One  of  these  commences  at  the  southern  border  of  the  map, 
crosses  the  Tennessee  at  the  mouth  of  Bear  Creek,  running 
thence  northeasterly  to  Nashville  on  the  Cumberland. 

355 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  is  marked  "Mountain  Leader's  Trace,"  evidently  being 
so  called  in  honor  of  Piomingo.  This  was  evidently  what  was 
afterwards  called  the  Natchez  trace,  ceded  to  the  United  States 
in  1 80 1  by  the  Chickasaws. 

Further  north  in  Kentucky  the  map  shows  many  traces 
crisscrossing  the  country,  but  the  most  of  them  have  no  designa- 
tions or  names. 


In  1810  John  Robertson  brought  out  a  volume  in  Philadel- 
phia under  the  pseudonym  or  pen  name  of  Piomingo,  "a  headman 
and  warrior  of  the  Muscogulgee  nation,"  under  the  title  of  The 
Savage. 

It  is  now  a  rare  book;  the  copy  I  procured  was  republished 
at  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  at  the  Scrap  Book  office  in  1833. 

In  the  preface  it  is  stated  that  Piomingo  sprang  from  the 
wilderness  far  from  the  haunts  of  civilized  man  and  that  he 
inhaled  with  his  first  breath  a  love  for  savage  independence, 
and  that  his  intercourse  with  white  men  had  not  contributed  to 
lessen  his  original  prepossession  in  favor  of  the  wild  dignity 
of  nature.     The  preface  closes  in  these  words: 

"The  good  people  of  this  republic  have  long  derived  amuse- 
ment from  the  journals  of  polished  travelers  through  barbarous 
nations:  let  us  for  once  reverse  the  picture  and  see  what  enter- 
tainment can  be  drawn  from  observations  of  a  savage  upon  the 
manners  and  customs,  vices  and  virtues,  of  those  who  boast  the 
advantages  of  refinement  and  civilization." 

The  title  of  the  first  paper  is  "Recollections  of  Infancy,"  and 
commences  thus : 

"The  existence  of  things  is  not  strange;  but  the  power  of 
perceiving  this  existence  is,  beyond  comprehension,  wonderful. 
Where  shall  we  look  for  the  origin  of  mind  ?  Whence  sprang  the 
young  idea?  Was  it  produced  by  the  immediate  agency  of  the 
Almighty  One?  or  is  it  a  necessary  emanation  from  the  great 
fountain  of  nature,  the  soul  of  the  universe?     Our  first  thought 

356 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

has  perished  forever:  no  exertion  of  ours  can  bring  it  up  from  the 
gulf  of  oblivion:  yet  we  may  awaken  the  recollection  of  times 
long  past ;  we  may  bid  the  scenes  of  childhood  pass  again  before 
us;  and  remember  with  pleasure  the  early  excursions  of  the  un- 
fledged mind." 

The  little  book  contains  324  pages  and  discusses  many 
subjects,  some  in  the  form  of  essays  and  some  dialogues,  in  which 
Piomingo  is  made  to  take  a  conspicuous  part. 

It  was  the  proud  boast  of  Piomingo  that  neither  he  nor  any 
of  his  people  ever  raised  the  hatchet  against  the  white  American 
settlers,  and  he  fought  with  them  against  various  Indian  tribes. 
He  was  an  Indian  worthy  to  sign  a  treaty  for  his  people  with 
George  Washington,  representing  the  United  States.  He  was  a 
man  of  distinction  and  note  throughout  this  section  and  far 
beyond  the  confines  of  the  territory  of  the  Chickasaw  tribe  of 
Indians;  and  yet,  when  I  asked  the  legislative  council  of  the 
city,  as  mayor  of  Memphis,  in  1908  to  name  one  of  the  principal 
thoroughfares  of  this  city  in  his  honor,  I  do  not  think  a  single 
member  of  the  council  had  ever  heard  his  name  mentioned  before. 
This  was  not  all.  Several  letters  were  written  and  published  in 
the  papers  asking  where  the  barbarous  name  came  from,  the 
writers  being  wholly  ignorant  of  the  history  of  their  own  state 
and  city.  Almost  by  way  of  jest,  upon  motion  of  Dr.  B.  G. 
Henning,  the  council  named  old  Madison  Street  Piomingo, 
which  name  it  bears  today.  We  are  thus  reminded  of  the  old 
Latin  saying,  "Sic  transit  gloria  mundi" — "so  passes  away 
earthly  glory." 

Nevertheless,  I  maintain  that  no  people  can  be  a  great 
people  or  attain  to  a  full  and  broad  view  of  life  who  are  without 
high  ideals;  and  no  people  who  fail  to  cherish  the  early  history 
of  their  country  or  of  the  great  and  distinguished  men  who  have 
preceded  them  can  attain  to  that  high  rank  of  civilization  shared 
by  the  distinguished  states,  nations,  and  people  of  their  day  and 
time. 

357 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Sequoyah,  the  Cadmus  of  America — 

According  to  Foster  near  two  hundred  years  ago  many 
Protestants  of  the  archbishopric  of  Salzburg,  Bavaria,  were 
forced  to  leave  their  homes  on  account  of  religious  persecution, 
and  sought  homes  in  various  countries  where  religious  freedom 
was  allowed.  These  people  were  descendants  of  the  ancient 
Vindelici  and  Boii,  and  one  band  landed  at  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  and  under  the  guiding  hand  of  General  James  Ogle- 
thorpe, they  settled  on  the  Savannah  River,  where  they  laid 
out  a  village  which  they  named  Ebenezer,  the  settlement  in 
1736  numbering  some  two  hundred  people. 

About  1739  there  came  from  Bavaria  to  Ebenezer  a  family 
of  Swabia,  Franconia  ancestry,  very  different  in  character  from 
the  first  settlers,  being  influenced  by  the  hope  of  gain  and  having 
no  religious  aspirations.  To  this  family  was  born  a  boy  named 
George  Gist ;  who  grew  up  in  ignorance,  could  speak  only  a  few 
words  in  English  or  Cherokee,  and  was  noted  only  for  his  cun- 
ning, lazy,  and  shiftless  disposition,  so  that  he  could  not  procure  a 
peddler's  license,  in  lieu  of  which  he  became  an  illicit  Indian  trader. 

This  boy  was  destined  to  become  the  father  of  the  most 
illustrious  North  American  Indian,  the  intellectual  peer  of  the 
wisest  men  in  the  history  of  mankind. 

The  Cherokee  nation  composed  the  Southern  branch  of 
that  great  Iroquois  family  of  Indians  occupying  the  mountain- 
ous portions  of  what  we  now  call  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Tennessee, 
and  Georgia.  They  were  a  bold,  brave,  and  self-reliant  people, 
capable  of  the  greatest  endurance,  and  of  a  warlike  temperament. 
They  were  devotedly  attached  to  their  mountain  homes*  in 
defense  of  which  they  were  ever  ready  to  sacrifice  their  lives  and 
all  they  had. 

The  Cherokees  had  marked  out  a  path  from  Augusta, 
Georgia,  to  their  country,  over  which  horsemen  could  ride  to  all 
parts  of  the  Cherokee  country.  George  Gist  is  said  to  have  taken 
this  path  for  the  Cherokee  country,  with  two  pack  horses  laden 
with  merchandise  suitable  for  trade  with  the  Indians. 

358 


Bronze  statue  of  Sequoyah,   presented  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma  to  the 
United  States,  and  now  in  Statuary  Hall,  in  the  Capitol  at  Washington. 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

There  he  met  a  Cherokee  Indian  girl  who  pleased  his  fancy, 
and  she  evidently  was  flattered  by  his  professions,  and  they 
became  husband  and  wife  according  to  the  customs  of  her  people; 
and  to  her  obligations  in  the  marriage  relation  she  was  ever 
faithful,  and  proved  a  devoted  mother,  judged  by  the  highest 
standards  of  the  most  enlightened  people. 

She  came  of  a  good  family,  her  father  being  a  chief  in  Great 
Echota,  the  town  of  refuge  in  the  Cherokee  nation,  for  they  had 
a  city  of  refuge  similar  to  that  of  the  ancient  Jews,  Great  Echota 
being  situated  on  the  little  Tennessee  River,  in  what  is  now 
Monroe  County,  east  Tennessee. 

Speaking  of  the  Indian  wife,  at  p.  17  Foster  says: 

"While  our  Dutch  peddler  smoked  his  home-made  pipe 
around  the  fire  or  joined  in  the  chase  when  his  indolence  would 
allow,  she  cultivated  the  maize,  even  cleared  a  piece  of  land  for 
tillage;  she  helped  put  up  a  wigwam;  she  prepared  and  dried  the 
skins,  and  fashioned  them  into  clothing,  and  cooked  his  food 
over  the  wigwam  fire.  She  even  butchered  the  game,  saddled 
the  horses,  and  cared  for  them  on  his  return;  she  brought  the 
wood,  fetched  the  water,  and  yet,  though  practically  a  slave, 
as  she  knew  no  better  way,  she  was  accounted  a  very  happy 
woman.  Her  hope  of  happiness  was  based  on  her  devotion  to 
her  husband;  so  the  more  she  did  for  him,  the  more  contented 
she  became." 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  I  have  not  seen  the  name  of  this 
remarkable  woman  in  any  of  the  books  I  have  been  able  to  read. 
I  have  written  many  letters  to  various  persons,  endeavoring  to 
ascertain  her  name  and  at  least  some  of  the  circumstances  con- 
nected with  her  life. 

In  a  letter  to  Senator  Robert  L.  Owens  by  Commissioner 
Sells,  of  January  21st,  1921,  it  is  said,  "I  am  informed  by  Mr. 
Frank  Boudinot,  an  attorney  residing  at  the  Northbrook  Courts, 
this  city  (Washington),  that  the  name  of  the  mother  of  Sequoyah, 
was  Wut-teh."  A  letter  directed  by  myself  to  Mr.  Boudinot 
failed  to  elicit  any  reply. 

359 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  this  letter  of  Commissioner  Sells,  he  also  states  that  the 
native  or  Indian  name  of  Sequoyah  was  Sikwayi,  which 
accords  with  the  various  articles  I  have  read. 

Gist  soon  wearied  of  this  new  life,  and  deserted  his  faithful 
and  devoted  wife,  stealing  away  clandestinely  and  was  never 
heard  of  again,  sinking  into  oblivion  which  he  so  well  deserved. 
In  due  course,  about  the  year  1760,  in  the  village  of  Taskigi  on 
the  Little  Tennessee  River,  in  what  is  now  Monroe  County, 
Tennessee,  a  baby  boy  was  born  to  the  deserted  Indian  mother, 
and  it  is  said  the  mother  named  the  babe  Sequoyah  (in  the 
Indian  tongue — Sikwayi),  because  in  the  musical  Cherokee 
language  that  name  meant,  "He  guessed  it";  that  is,  the  faithless 
father  guessed  it  would  be  a  boy.  It  may  be  added,  however, 
that  there  is  a  dispute  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name,  and  that 
Sequoyah  generally  was  known  among  the  white  people  as 
George  Guess,  which  name  he  appears  to  have  assumed,  and  he 
used  the  name  "Guess"  as  a  trade  mark,  by  stamping  it  on  the 
silver  ornaments  he  made  as  a  silversmith. 

The  Cherokees  to  this  day  cherish  his  Indian  name,  and 
proudly  call  him  Sequoyah. 

The  mother  of  Sequoyah  had  eight  acres  of  land,  some 
horses  and  cattle,  and  maintained  herself  and  child  by  her  own 
exertions,  the  boy  soon  joining  his  mother  in  her  labors,  making 
a  new  kind  of  wooden  milk  pan,  building  a  milk-house  over  a 
cool  gushing  mountain  spring;  and  when  she  contrived  to  get  a 
small  stock  of  goods,  she  taught  him  how  to  be  a  good  judge  of 
furs,  and  he  went  on  hunting  and  trading  excursions  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Tennessee  and  Ohio  Rivers,  and  came  home  laden 
with  furs.  Upon  him  the  mother  lavished  all  the  fond  affections 
of  a  mother's  heart,  and  from  her  he  evidently  inherited  all  the 
energy  and  perseverance  of  his  nature;  while  from  his  remote 
white  ancestry  through  his  father  it  is  probable  he  inherited  his 
meditative  and  philosophical  traits  of  character,  this  being  an 
illustration  of  what  is  termed  a  reversion  to  the  original  type  of 
some  ancient  ancestor. 

360 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  large  Spanish,  French,  and  English  coins  which  came 
into  his  hands  were  fashioned  into  rings,  bracelets,  necklaces, 
and  other  ornaments  with  so  much  skill  that  he  became  the  most 
famous  silversmith  in  all  the  land.  He  also  turned  his  attention 
to  art,  and  without  a  teacher  drew  sketches  of  deer,  horses, 
cows,  and  other  familiar  objects,  and  though  rude  at  first  his 
skill  so  improved  that  his  sketches  presented  a  very  good  resem- 
blance to  the  objects  they  were  designed  to  represent;  and  he 
also  became  a  most  famous  story-teller,  and  altogether  we  are 
not  surprised  that  he  easily  became  the  most  popular  Cherokee 
in  all  the  tribe. 

Having  lost  his  mother,  it  is  said  his  home  became  the 
rendezvous  for  all  the  wild  and  gay  young  Indian  warriors,  and 
that  Sequoyah  for  a  time  became  dissipated,  but  exercising  that 
strong  will  for  which  he  was  noted,  he  eventually  cast  aside  for- 
ever his  indulgence  in  intoxicating  liquors. 

Sequoyah  eventually  married,  and  speaking  of  his  wife 
Foster  (p.  69)  says: 

"This  wife  which  Sequoyah  took  was  no  common  Indian 
maiden.  In  form  she  was  like  the  women  of  her  race;  she  was 
tall,  erect,  and  of  a  delicate  frame;  her  features  formed  with 
perfect  symmetry,  and  her  countenance  was  cheerful  and  amiable. 
Both  in  her  soul  and  that  of  Sequoyah  was  a  higher  intuition 
than  appeared  to  be  bestowed  on  any  other  of  the  Cherokee 
tribe.  For  a  time  their  sympathies  were  one,  and  for  a  time  their 
lives  were  markedly  happy.  For  all  nature  spoke  in  plainest 
utterances  to  them  that  which  it  only  whispered  unto  others. 

1  'Every  bird  that  sung,  every  scene  of  Nature  seemed  to  in- 
spire new  thoughts  and  awaken  new  aspirations  in  Sequoyah. 

"Even  the  wind  playing  melodies  on  the  tree  leaves  seemed 
to  him  like  words  of  the  Great  Spirit,  which  his  sensitive  nature 
translated  into  words  of  wisdom. 

"Nature  was  his  teacher,  through  which  he  lived  a  life  beyond 
the  ken  of  all  others  in  the  Cherokee  tribe.  But  as  the  honey- 
moon wore  off,  he  became  more  meditative  and  philosophically 
inclined,  and  she  more  thoroughly  practical.  She  worked  and  he 
dreamed,  and  thus  their  lives  grew  widely  apart.    She  became  a 

361 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

virago  and  on  many  a  morning,  in  later  years,  the  voice  of  Se- 
quoyah's wife  could  be  heard  giving  her  lord  'Jesse'  for  the  lack 
of  such  industry  as  she  exclusively  held  in  esteem.  'However,' 
says,  Boudinot,  the  Executive  Secretary  of  the  nation,  'he 
seemed  to  have  taken  all  his  scoldings  with  great  equanimity. 
No  doubt  he  put  himself  in  her  place  and  made  full  allowance 
for  the  disagreeable  prospect  from  her  standpoint.'  " 

The  Great  Invention— 

We  have  seen  that  from  early  childhood  Sequoyah  evinced 
an  inventive  talent  and  that  he  became  an  expert  silversmith, 
but  the  crowning  work  of  his  life  was  his  invention  of  the  Chero- 
kee syllabic  alphabet,  the  simplest,  most  complete,  and  the 
most  perfect  in  the  long  history  of  mankind.  I  realize  that  this 
is  a  sweeping  statement,  nevertheless  it  is  true  in  every  respect. 

If  it  should  be  supposed  that  this  alphabet  was  but  the 
product  of  genius,  unaccompanied  by  study,  toil,  and  self  denial, 
there  could  not  be  a  greater  mistake. 

The  germ,  or  underlying  principles,  involved  in  its  produc- 
tion no  doubt  engaged  the  profound  thoughts  of  Sequoyah  for 
years  before  he  gave  himself  entirely  over  to  working  out  its 
details. 

As  might  be  expected,  there  are  various  reasons  assigned  as 
to  the  causes  which  led  Sequoyah  to  enter  upon  years  of  labor  to 
produce  his  alphabet.  Some  ascribe  it  to  a  taunting  remark 
made  by  some  of  his  companions,  when,  around  the  camp  fire, 
Sequoyah  casually  stated  that  he  could  invent  an  alphabet  equal 
to  that  of  the  white  man.  The  party  was  discussing  some  written 
pages  of  a  letter  that  had  been  found  on  a  white  captive  prisoner, 
which  they  called  "speaking  leaves." 

Stung  by  the  incredulous  taunts  of  his  companions,  it  is 
claimed  that  then  and  there  Sequoyah  registered  a  secret  vow  to 
make  good  his  statement.  It  is  also  said  that  in  the  troubles  of 
the  Cherokees  with  the  white  settlers,  when  the  latter  began 
encroaching  on  the  territory  of  the  Indians,  it  became  a  much 
debated  question  as  to  the  source  of  the  superiority  of  the  white 

362 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

man  over  the  Indian.  Sequoyah  in  early  life  was  a  hunter  and 
trader  in  furs,  but  met  with  an  accident  which  made  him  a 
cripple  for  life.  He  was  naturally  of  a  contemplative  disposition 
and  had  an  inventive  turn  of  mind.  His  physical  affliction  gave 
him  more  time  for  thought  and  reflection,  and  he  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  ability  of  the  white  man  to  read  and  write 
and  thus  transmit  his  thoughts,  not  only  to  the  present,  but 
future  generations,  was  the  mainspring  of  the  superiority  of  the 
white  man. 

About  the  year  1809,  without  knowing  any  language  except 
that  of  the  Cherokee,  and  never  having  gone  to  school  a  day  in 
his  life,  and,  of  course,  without  any  education  whatever,  or  any 
knowledge  of  the  arts  of  the  white  man,  he  set  to  work  to  invent 
an  alphabet  for  the  Cherokees,  and,  retiring  to  the  woods,  and 
listening  to  all  sounds,  and  comparing  them  with  the  words  of 
the  Cherokee  language,  after  twelve  years  he  put  forth,  in  1821, 
his  alphabet,  consisting  of  eighty-five  characters. 

In  the  meantime  he  was  ridiculed  and  laughed  at;  but 
nothing  could  dampen  his  ardor  or  check  his  labors. 

Not  only  many  of  his  Indian  friends,  but  the  agents  of  the 
United  States  government  residing  among  the  Cherokees  believed 
that  his  mind  was  affected,  being  unable  to  comprehend  the  na- 
ture of  his  labors. 

The  first  plan  of  Sequoyah  was  recognizing  sounds  in  nature 
which  corresponded  to  tones  in  the  Cherokee  language,  and  then 
to  represent  this  sound  by  drawing  a  picture  of  some  natural 
object  which  made  the  sound;  but  he  found  that  these  pictures 
and  characters  so  multiplied  that  no  one  could  remember  them, 
and  after  long  labors  along  these  lines,  in  which  he  had  the 
assistance  of  his  wife  and  children,  he  was  finally  compelled  to 
abandon  the  plan. 

The  philosophy  underlying  the  final  plan  upon  which 
Sequoyah  created  his  syllabic  alphabet  was  to  have  one  letter 
to  represent  each  and  every  sound  the  human  throat  can  utter. 
One  letter  would  represent  in  this  way  parts  of  different  words, 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

with  the  result  that  the  number  of  characters  would  be  com- 
paratively small. 

Foster  (p.  102)  quotes  Phillips  in  Harpers  Magazine  of 
September,  1870,  as  explaining  more  in  detail  the  principles 
upon  which  the  alphabet  was  constructed  as   follows : 

"Sequoyah  discovered  that  the  language  possessed  certain 
musical  sounds,  such  as  we  call  vowels,  and  dividing  sounds, 
called  by  us  consonants.  In  determining  his  vowels  he  varied, 
during  the  progress  of  discoveries,  but  finally  settled  on  the  six, 
a,  e,  i,  0,  u,  and  a  guttural  vowel  sounding  like  u  in  ung.  These 
had  long  and  short  sounds,  with  the  exception  of  the  guttural. 
He  next  considered  his  consonants,  or  dividing  sounds,  and 
estimated  the  number  of  combinations  of  these  that  would  give 
all  the  sounds  required  to  make  words  in  their  language.  He 
first  adopted  fifteen  for  the  dividing  sounds,  but  settled  on 
twelve  primary,  the  g  and  k  being  one  and  sounding  more  like 
k  than  g,  and  d  like  t.  These  may  be  represented  in  English  as 
g,  h,  I,  m,  n,  qu,  t,  dl  or  tl,  ts,  w,  y,  z.  It  will  be  seen  that  if  these 
twelve  be  multiplied  by  six  vowels,  the  number  of  possible 
combinations  or  syllables  would  be  seventy-two,  and  by  adding 
the  vowel  sounds  which  may  be  syllables,  the  number  would  be 
seventy-eight.  However,  the  guttural  u,  or  sound  of  u  in  ung, 
does  not  appear  among  the  combinations,  making  seventy- 
seven. 

"Still  his  work  was  not  complete.  The  hissing  sound  of  5 
entered  into  the  ramification  of  so  many  sounds,  as  in  sta,  stu, 
spa,  spe,  that  it  would  have  required  a  large  addition  to  his 
alphabet  to  meet  this  demand.  This  he  simplified  by  using  a 
distinct  character  for  the  s  (00) ,  to  be  used  in  such  combinations. 
To  provide  for  the  varying  sounds  g  and  k,  he  added  a  symbol, 
which  has  been  written  in  English  ka.  As  the  syllable  na  is 
liable  to  be  aspirated,  he  added  symbols  written  nah  and  kna. 
To  have  distinct  representatives  for  the  combinations  rising  out 
of  the  different  sounds  of  d  and  t,  he  added  symbols  for  ta}  te,  ti 
and  another  for  dla,  thus  tla.  These  completed  the  eighty-five 
characters  of  his  alphabet  of  syllables  and  not  of  letters." 

At  the  time  Sequoyah  completed  his  alphabet,  he  was  living 
in  a  log  cabin  in  Georgia  in  comparative  poverty;  and  as  he  had 

364 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

spent  so  many  years  in  working  out  his  theory  in  poverty,  the 
general  opinion  was  that  he  was  at  least  partially  demented; 
hence  he  was  unable  to  convince  any  one  of  the  practical  utility 
of  his  marvelous  alphabet. 

As  some  of  the  Cherokees  had  moved  to  the  new  Arkansas 
country,  he  visited  them  there,  and  endeavored  to  have  the  Chero- 
kees there  understand  his  alphabet,  and  finally  succeeded  in 
having  one  write  a  letter  to  a  friend  back  in  Georgia,  which  he 
brought  with  him  on  his  return  home;  and  while  his  people 
wondered  greatly  when  it  was  read,  still  they  were  not  convinced. 

Sequoyah  called  a  meeting  of  the  most  prominent  men 
among  the  Cherokees,  and  also  explained  his  alphabet  to  Col. 
Lowrey,  the  Indian  agent,  who  lived  only  three  miles  from  his 
cabin,  and  to  all  of  them  he  explained  in  detail  the  principles  of 
his  alphabet;  still  they  could  not  comprehend  it. 

Sequoyah  had  taught  his  alphabet  to  his  little  daughter, 
Ahyokeh,  then  only  six  years  old,  and  sending  her  away  he  wrote 
down  any  word  or  sentiment  his  friends  named,  and  when 
called  back,  she  readily  read  what  had  been  written.  While 
Col.  Lowrey  at  first  thought  that  Sequoyah  was  deceiving 
himself,  he  finally  began  to  doubt  whether  he  was  the  deluded 
schemer  which  others  thought  him  to  be. 

The  syllabary  was  soon  recognized  by  the  Cherokees  as  an 
invaluable  invention,  and  such  was  its  simplicity  and  adapta- 
bility to  the  Cherokee  language  that  money  or  schools  and  acade- 
mies were  unnecessary,  for  it  could  be  easily  learned  in  the  tepee, 
or  on  the  trail,  and  in  a  few  months  thousands  of  Cherokees 
could  read  and  write  in  their  language  with  ease  and  facility, 
thereby  placing  that  nation  far  in  advance  of  any  other  Indian 
tribe.  The  Cherokees,  in  recognition  of  Sequoyah's  invention, 
presented  him  with  a  medal,  and  in  1828  he  visited  Washington 
and  attracted  much  attention.  In  the  treaty  of  that  year  he  was 
given  $500.00  by  the  United  States  Congress  for  the  great  benefit 
he  had  conferred  upon  the  Cherokee  people  in  the  invention  of 
his  wonderful  alphabet. 

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The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Sequoyah  in  the  Hall  of  Fame- 
In    191 1    the   Legislature   of   the   new  State   of  Oklahoma 
honored  itself  in  the  passage  of  an  act  to  place  in  the  rotunda  of 
the  Capitol,  the  Hall  of  Fame  at  Washington,  D.  C,  a  splendid 
bronze  statue  of  Sequoyah,  as  a  famous  man  from  that  state. 

The  presentation  was  made,  and  the  statue  unveiled  on 
June  6,  1917,  Honorable  Charles  D.  Carter,  member  of  Congress 
from  the  third  district  of  Oklahoma,  himself  a  distinguished 
descendant  of  the  intrepid  Chickasaws,  being  chairman  of  the 
meeting. 

The  presentation  speech  was  made  by  Senator  Robert  L. 
Owen,  of  Oklahoma,  he  being  of  Cherokee  descent  and  a  man  of 
distinguished  ability;  and  among  other  things  he  said: 

"It  is  a  strange  thing  that  no  alphabet  in  all  the  world 
reaches  the  dignity,  the  simplicity,  and  the  value  of  the  Chero- 
kee alphabet  as  invented  by  Sequoyah.  The  European  alphabet 
goes  too  far  in  providing  analysis  of  sound  and  permits  such 
large  variations  in  spelling  that  it  is  a  task  of  years  to  learn  how 
to  spell  correctly  in  any  of  the  European  languages.  With  the 
Sequoyah  alphabet  a  Cherokee  could  learn  to  spell  in  one  day. 

"Thus  the  labor  of  years  was  saved  to  the  student.  So 
great  an  intellectual  accomplishment  was  this  that  Canon 
Kingsley  named  the  great  red  cedars  of  California,  which  towered 
as  high  as  four  hundred  feet  into  the  air  and  which  were  twenty- 
five  feet  through  at  the  base,  'sequoias,'  because  they  were 
typical  of  the  greatest  native  North  American  Indian." 

Upon  the  same  occasion  Speaker  Champ  Clark  said : 

"When  I  was  a  boy,  my  father  believed  in  phonetics  and  I 
believe  in  phonetics.  Sequoyah  invented  simply  a  large  and 
complete  phonetic  system  in  which  everything  is  spelled  by 
sound,  which  is  the  correct  way.  If  he  had  lived  two  thousand 
years  ago  and  had  invented  his  alphabet  and  had  got  people  to 
use  it,  one-fifth  of  the  time  of  the  usual  life  could  have  been 
saved.  (Applause.)  On  the  average,  we  spend  one-fifth  of  our 
lives  learning  how  to  spell  and  we  don't  know  yet.  (Laughter 
and  applause.)" 

366 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Many  eloquent  addresses  were  made  upon  the  unveiling  of 
the  bronze  statue  of  Sequoyah,  which  may  be  read,  commenc- 
ing at  page  5683  of  the  Congressional  Record  of  date  July  16, 
1917. 

The  Last  Days  of  Sequoyah— 

Where  the  mortal  remains  of  Sequoyah  rest,  no  man  knows, 
though  it  is  generally  conceded  that  he  died  amid  the  towering 
peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  ranges.  His  ancient  ancestors 
occupied  the  loftiest  peaks  of  the  Appalachian  Mountains,  and 
as  intellectually  he  towered  far  above  the  average  man,  it  seems 
fitting  that  he  should  have  sought  the  lofty  ranges  of  the  West, 
after  his  people  had  been  driven  from  their  homes  in  the  East, 
to  breathe  his  last,  and  yield  up  his  spirit  to  "The  Beloved  One 
who  dwelleth  in  the  blue  sky." 

This  short  sketch  will  not  admit  of  the  various  versions  as  to 
the  circumstances  attending  the  last  days  of  Sequoyah,  much  less 
the  speculations  as  to  where  his  body  now  sleeps ;  but  in  reference 
to  his  later  years  this  much  may  be  said: 

In  1823  he  took  up  his  permanent  residence  in  Arkansas, 
where  a  portion  of  the  tribe  had  been  removed.  He  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  treaties  by  which  the  Cherokees,  or  the 
most  of  them,  were  moved  from  their  homes  in  North  Carolina 
to  the  West. 

In  his  declining  years  Sequoyah  withdrew  from  activities 
among  the  Cherokees,  and  once  again  gave  himself  over  to 
speculative  ideas.  He  conceived  the  idea  that  there  should  be 
elements  of  a  common  speech  and  grammar  among  the  various 
Indian  languages,  and  he  traveled  far  and  near  among  many 
tribes  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  demonstrate  the  correctness  of  his 
theory.  There  was  a  current  tradition  to  the  effect  that  in 
ancient  times  a  band  of  Cherokees,  forsaking  their  mountain 
home  and  kindred  in  the  Appalachian  range,  had  crossed  the 
Mississippi  River  and  found  another  home  in  a  distant  range  of 
mountains  in  the  West. 

367 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

This  legend  appealed  to  the  imaginative  mind  of  Sequoyah 
and  he  went  in  quest  of  this  lost  band ;  but  death  overtook  him 
at  the  age  of  eighty- three,  in  August,  1843  (it  is  said),  near  San 
Fernando,  Tamaulipas,  Mexico. 

There  amid  the  towering  Mexican  Sierras  his  tired  and  rest- 
less body  fell  asleep,  and  there  today  stand  the  great  mountains, 
fit  monuments  over  his  mortal  remains. 

Though  Sequoyah  was  a  pagan  to  the  last,  may  we  not 
indulge  the  fond  hope  that  when  the  mortal  put  on  immortality, 
the  vagrant  Mexican  breezes  caught  up  the  restless  spirit  of 
Sequoyah,  and  bore  it  far  beyond  the  clouds  to  the  happy  hunting 
grounds  of  his  Indian  forefathers,  according  to  the  myths  which 
he  learned  as  a  child  at  the  knees  of  his  Indian  mother  in  the  far- 
away mountains  of  our  beloved  east  Tennessee? 

The  South  and  Intellectual  Men— 

In  late  years  there  has  arisen  a  tendency  for  some  men  to 
proclaim  that  on  account  of  climatic  conditions  in  the  South  full 
intellectual  development  there  is  not  possible.  This  silly  drivel 
comes,  of  course,  from  men  who  do  not  live  in  the  South.  The 
assumption  is  based  on  so-called  scientific  principles  as  to  the 
effect  upon  the  body  and  mind  of  the  climate  in  which  people 
live,  the  products  of  the  soil,  their  environment  and  so  on, 
reaching  the  conclusions  as  above  indicated. 

In  Chapter  VIII  it  was  pointed  out  that  in  pre-revolutionary 
days,  while  the  colonists  were  weak  and  time  sufficient  had  not 
elapsed  for  their  full  development,  it  was  then  somewhat  fashion- 
able among  certain  classes  in  European  countries  to  proclaim  that 
such  were  climatic  and  other  conditions  in  America  as  to  form 
an  impassible  barrier  to  the  full  intellectual  development  of  men 
and  the  animal  world  in  general.  The  celebrated  French  natu- 
ralist, Buffon,  undertook  to  prove  this  theory  upon  scientific 
principles,  and  such  was  the  effect  produced  by  such  writings 
that  Thomas  Jefferson,  in  his  notes  on  Virginia,  combated  the 
position  of  men  like  Buffon,  insisting  that  it  was  a  theory  devoid 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

of  any  substantial  basis.  No  one,  even  in  Europe,  will  now  claim 
that  Buffon  was  right  or  that  Jefferson,  a  Southern  man,  was  wrong. 

If  the  intellectual  capacities  of  men  are  to  be  controlled  by 
their  natural  and  climatic  environment,  then,  as  the  Indians  of 
America  were,  so  to  speak,  natural  products  of  the  respective 
localities,  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  Piomingo,  the  un- 
lettered full-blooded  Chickasaw  chief  proved  to  be  a  worthy 
match  for  the  Spanish  and  French  diplomats ;  and  that  whether 
on  the  field  of  battle,  or  in  the  arena  of  diplomacy,  he  withstood 
all  the  wiles  of  those  opposed  to  the  Americans,  including  the 
seductive  influence  of  money.  Did  he  not  possess  a  wonderful 
judgment  of  men,  not  to  say  prescience  of  the  future,  when  he 
chose  on  all  occasions,  and  under  the  most  adverse  circumstances, 
to  bend  his  people  to  the  cause  of  the  Americans  rather  than  to 
that  of  France  or  Spain? 

Sequoyah  was  born  and  reared  in  sunny  Tennessee,  and  his 
early  manhood  was  spent  in  Georgia,  and  he  lived  in  that  State 
during  the  many  trying  years  of  toil,  poverty,  and  self-denial 
which  he  spent  in  producing  his  syllabic  alphabet,  the  most 
perfect  in  the  annals  of  the  world,  and  which  made  his  name 
immortal. 

The  English-speaking  people  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the 
Chickasaw  nation,  who  were  men  of  the  South,  that  can  never  be 
repaid. 

In  the  United  States  official  Handbook  of  American  Indians 
(p.  463)  the  definition  given  of  the  "Five  Civilized  Tribes"  is  in 
these  words: 

"A  term  used  both  officially  and  unofficially  in  modern 
times  to  designate  collectively  the  Cherokee,  Chickasaw,  Choctaw, 
Creek,  and  Seminole  Indians,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  applied  on 
account  of  the  advance  made  by  these  tribes  towards  civilized 
life  and  customs." 

It  is  almost  needless  to  state  that  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes 
were  all  men  of  the  South,  the  most  of  them  living  in  the  Gulf 

369 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

States;  or  to  add  that  no  other  tribe  or  tribes,  however  far  they 
may  have  lived  northward,  approached  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes 
in  those  intellectual  and  other  attributes  which  won  for  them  the 
designation  which  of  itself  proclaims  their  superiority  to  all 
other  North  American  Indians. 

The  mere  mention  of  the  name  of  Thomas  Jefferson  recalls 
that  he  was  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
which  has  proven  to  be  the  very  sheet  anchor  for  the  preservation 
of  the  liberties  of  mankind  throughout  the  civilized  world.  And 
there  were  other  Southern  men  whose  labors  and  whose  genius 
made  possible  the  building  of  a  superstructure  upon  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  eventuating  in  our  republican  form  of 
government,  without  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  mankind.  In 
the  remotest  parts  of  the  earth,  wherever  men  are  denied  their 
rights  of  freedom,  liberty  of  speech  or  religion,  they  look  with 
longing  eyes  and  prayerful  hearts  to  the  great  American  republic 
as  the  very  symbol  of  all  that  is  good  and  great  in  governmental 
affairs.  And  how  can  we  think  of  those  who  made  this  great 
government  possible  and  not  recall  the  name  of  George  Washing- 
ton, whose  place  in  history  by  the  common  consent  of  mankind 
is  described  as  "First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen?" 

James  Madison,  the  author  of  the  Madison  Papers,  more 
than  any  one  other  man,  wrote  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States;  and  James  Monroe  was  the  author  of  the  justly  celebrated 
Monroe  Doctrine,  which  was  at  Versailles  by  the  unanimous 
vote  of  all  the  great  powers  of  the  earth,  upon  the  motion  of 
Woodrow  Wilson,  made  a  part  of  the  League  of  Nations;  so  that 
the  Monroe  Doctrine  is  now,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of 
civilized  men,  one  of  the  most  important  parts  of  international 
law,  safeguarding  the  rights  of  all  men. 

And  so  sure  as  day  follows  night,  the  United  States  will 
become  a  member  of  the  League  of  Nations,  or  some  similar 
association,  the  fundamental  principles  of  which  were  fashioned 
by  Woodrow  Wilson,  who,  more  than  any  other  one  man,  wrote 

370 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

that  imperishable  document,  and  by  the  presentation  of  its 
claims  upon  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  mankind  has  caused  it 
to  be  adopted  by  forty-one  nations  of  the  earth  up  to  September, 
1920.  Alphabetically  arranged  (see  Literary  Digest,  September 
25,  1920,  p.  37)  those  nations  are  as  follows: 

"Present  membership  of  the  League  of  Nations: 


Argentine  Republic 

Greece 

Persia 

Australia 

Guatemala 

Poland 

Belgium 

Haiti 

Portugal 

Bolivia 

Hedjaz 

Rumania 

Brazil 

India 

Salvador 

British  Empire 

Italy 

Serbia 

Canada 

Japan 

Siam 

Chile 

Liberia 

South  Africa 

China 

Netherlands 

Spain 

Colombia 

New  Zealand 

Sweden 

Cuba 

Norway 

Switzerland 

Czecho-Slovakia 

Panama 

Uruguay 

Denmark 

Paraguay 

Venezuela 

France 

Peru 

"Ecuador  is  considering  the  treaty  of  peace  in  the  current 
Congress.  Nicaragua  has  ratified,  but  the  formalities  of  deposit- 
ing the  ratification  are  not  yet  complete.  Honduras  has  completed 
the  parliamentary  stage  of  ratification.  The  United  States 
eligible  to  original  membership." 


is 


Is  it  creditable  to  the  United  States  that,  on  account  of 
partisanship,  prejudice,  and  a  want  of  that  broad  vision  of  the 
future  possessed  by  those  who  laid  the  foundation  stones  of  this 
great  republic,  this  country  so  far  has  failed  to  become  a  mem- 
ber of  that  League? 


All  of  those  men  of  the  South  mentioned  above,  whose 
labors  so  eminently  contributed  to  the  formation  of  our  republic, 
occupied  legislative  and  executive  relations  to  the  new  experiment 
for  the  government  of  men ;  but  there  was  another  no  less  import- 

371 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ant  department  of  the  government,  namely  the  judicial  depart- 
ment, presided  over  first  by  that  justly  distinguished  Northern 
man  John  Jay,  as  Chief  Justice;  and  he  resigned  from  that 
great  office  because  he  could  see  there  no  field  for  the  develop- 
ment of  his  genius. 

He  was  succeeded  soon  by  a  Southern  man,  John  Marshall, 
of  whom  President  Garfield   (Swaney,  p.   133)   said: 

"Marshall  found  the  constitution  paper;  and  he  made  it 
power.  He  found  a  skeleton,  and  he  clothed  it  with  flesh  and  blood." 

Not  only  in  America  both  North  and  South,  but  among  all 
thoughtful  and  reflective  men  throughout  the  world,  such  as 
James  Bryce,  now  Lord  Bryce,  it  is  declared  that  to  John  Mar- 
shall the  world  is  indebted  for  the  interpretation,  development, 
and  practical  application  of  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States  to  the  varying  conditions  of  the  country  as  new  questions 
arose,  so  that  its  interpretation  has  proven  the  government  to 
be  all  that  was  hoped  for  it  by  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of 
the  great  men  who  fashioned  its  foundations. 

Without  making  invidious  comparisons,  may  we  not  ask  if 
the  labors  and  genius  of  these  Southern  men  had  been  eliminated 
from  the  labors  of  others  in  the  formative  process  of  the  making 
of  this  great  republic,  would  mankind  now  enjoy  the  priceless 
example,  and  the  people  of  the  United  States  the  priceless  bless- 
ings of  our  present  form  of  government? 

The  Pilgrims  of  New  England  and  their  descendants  delight 
in  the  blare  of  the  trumpet,  whereas  the  cavaliers  who  settled 
Virginia  and  their  descendants  are  of  a  different  temperament. 
Witness  the  celebration  in  this  year,  1920,  of  the  tercentenary 
landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  all  over  the  country,  in- 
cluding a  fine  pageant  in  Memphis;  and  yet  there  were  earlier 
settlements  in  Virginia,  and  the  significant  fact  that  in  the  year 
prior  to  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  that  is,  in  1619,  the  first 
legislative  assembly  upon  the  American  continent  met  in  Vir- 
ginia and  passed  laws,  was  scarcely  commented  upon. 

372 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  Literary  Digest  of  October  23,  1920,  quotes  G.  K. 
Chesterton,  the  noted  English  writer,  as  commenting  upon  this 
subject  as  follows : 

"It  is  a  commonplace  to  say  that  Virginia  was  the  very 
throne  of  the  authority  of  the  Revolution.  From  Virginia  came 
Washington,  its  hero,  and  Jefferson,  its  prophet.  The  State  was 
known  as  the  Mother  of  Presidents.  It  was  felt  as  a  sort  of 
council  chamber  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Republic.  Not  to  follow 
its  pivotal  political  history  through  a  thousand  other  things,  it 
is  enough  to  say  that,  in  the  Civil  War,  the  adherence  of  Virginia 
to  the  side  of  local  patriotism,  which  happened  to  be  the  losing 
side,  was  certainly  the  fact  which  almost  turned  it  into  the 
winning  side.  In  Virginia,  in  that  dark  hour,  arose  the  greatest 
of  American  generals,  who  was  perhaps  the  noblest  of  Americans. 
I  really  can  not  imagine  why  a  history  which  begins  with  Raleigh 
and  ends  with  Lee,  and  incidentally  includes  Washington,  should 
be  utterly  swept  aside  and  forgotten  in  favor  of  a  few  sincere,  but 
limited,  non-conformists,  who  happened  to  quarrel  with  Charles  I." 

Without  joining  in  the  rather  caustic  criticism,  yet  what  is 
said  of  Virginia  and  Virginians  is  commended  to  those  who 
constantly  criticize  the  South. 

The  South  After  the  Abolition  of  Slavery— 

But,  says  another,  see  how  far  the  South  has  lagged  behind 
the  balance  of  the  country  in  material  progress.  Where  is  the 
candid  man  who  does  not  know  that  this  want  of  so-called 
prosperity  in  the  things  which  go  to  make  up  riches  according 
to  the  modern  acceptation  of  that  term,  is  due  primarily  to  the 
ravages  and  direct  results  of  the  Civil  War,  by  which  the  Con- 
stitution was  so  amended  as  to  abolish  slavery  by  the  sword 
instead  of  by  the  methods  pointed  out  by  that  instrument? 
How  many  of  the  critics  of  the  South  will  take  time  to  remember 
that  if  the  convention  which  adopted  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, had  adopted  it  as  written  by  Jefferson  in  those 
parts  with  respect  to  slavery,  that  slavery  would  have  received 
therefrom  its  death  blow. 

373 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  The  Safeguards  of  Liberty  (p.  41)  by  W.  B.  Swaney,  of 
Chattanooga,  this  fact  is  clearly  pointed  out,  and  that  the  original 
draft  of  the  Declaration  as  drawn  by  Jefferson  was  amended 
upon  the  motion  of  Benjamin  Franklin  and  John  Adams.  In 
17^4  Jefferson  drafted  a  bill  to  abolish  slavery  in  all  of  the  North- 
western territory,  and  also  in  what  is  now  Alabama,  Mississippi, 
Tennessee,  and  Kentucky,  and  this  bill  failed  of  passage  by  only 
one  vote,  and  Jefferson  wrote  in  his  diary,  "Thus  we  see  the  fate 
of  millions  unborn  hanging  on  the  tongue  of  one  man,  and  Heaven 
was  silent  in  that  awful  moment!" 

Not  only  was  slavery  abolished  and  the  capital  therein 
invested,  but  fire  and  sword  destroyed  homes,  barns,  cattle, 
factories,  schools,  and  churches,  leaving  the  South  in  the  dust 
and  ashes;  and  as  if  this  was  not  sufficient,  the  wild  partisans 
passed  what  was  called  the  reconstruction  laws,  by  which  the 
flower  of  the  manhood  of  the  South  was  disfranchised  and  their 
former  slaves  made  their  political  rulers. 

This  was  an  impossible  state  of  affairs  among  what  is  termed 
the  Anglo-Saxon  people,  but  which  I  prefer  to  designate  the 
English-speaking  people;  for  this  blood  runs  purer  in  the  South 
than  in  any  other  section  of  this  great  country.  Needless  to  say, 
it  was  but  a  question  of  time  when  the  white  men  of  the  South 
took  over  the  political  control  of  every  Southern  State,  which 
they  will  never  surrender,  for  this  political  control  means  the 
salvation  of  both  the  white  and  colored  population. 

The  Fate  of  Haiti  Under  Negro  Rule- 
Almost  within  the  shadow  of  southern  Florida  lies  the 
beautiful  Island  of  Haiti,  so  named  from  an  Indian  word  meaning 
mountainous ;  for  while  there  is  much  low  land  upon  which  grow 
all  tropical  fruits,  and  the  finest  coffee,  sugar,  and  tobacco,  still 
other  parts  are  quite  mountainous  with  extended  high  plateaus, 
where  grow  other  harvests  of  the  temperate  zone,  affording  an 
equable  and  delightful  climate  not  surpassed  anywhere;  while 
in  the  mountains  are  to  be  found  gold,  silver,  copper,  tin,  coal, 

374 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  iron.  In  short  it  is  a  land  where  every  prospect  pleases,  and 
only  man  is  vile;  and  why? 

On  December  6,  1492,  now  over  four  hundred  years  ago, 
Columbus  discovered  the  beautiful  island  and  named  it  His- 
paniola  (Espanola),  which  in  English  means  Little  Spain,  because 
in  his  estimation  it  represented  all  that  was  beautiful  and  good 
and  was  the  crowning  jewel  of  all  his  discoveries  which  made  his 
name  immortal.  The  great  navigator  set  about  at  once  to  build 
towns  and  roads,  to  cultivate  the  soil,  open  mines,  and  develop 
the  marvelous  resources  of  the  beautiful  island;  and  when  he 
passed  from  earth  to  heaven  on  May  26,  1506,  though  his  re- 
mains were  first  interred  in  Seville,  Spain,  in  1542  they  were 
exhumed,  carried  over  the  sea,  and  interred  in  that  part  of 
Hispaniola  now  called  Santo  Domingo,  where  they  reposed 
until  1 795-1 796,  and  were  re-exhumed,  and  transferred  to  the 
Cathedral  in  Havana,  Cuba;  whence,  after  the  Spanish-American 
War  of  1898,  they  were  finally  removed  back  to  Seville,  Spain, 
where,  let  us  hope,  they  may  peacefully  repose  forever. 

Upon  the  whole  island  Columbus  found  some  two  million 
Indians,  and  in  course  of  time  these  aborigines  were  exterminated, 
and  as  slave  labor  proved  profitable  in  cultivating  the  rich  soil, 
the  island  was  flooded  with  negro  slaves  from  Africa  by  the 
same  means  that  they  were  imported  into  our  Southern  States, 
and  these  importations  were  especially  great  in  the  western 
part  of  the  island,  which  is  more  correctly  called  Haiti,  while 
the  eastern  part  is  called  Santo  Domingo,  the  two  parts  of  the 
island  being  now  and  for  many  years  since,  governed  by  separate 
and  distinct  forms  of  government,  the  one  part  having  no  political 
connection  with  the  other. 

What  is  said  here  pertains  to  the  western  part  of  the  island 
designated  Haiti,  where  the  population  became  overwhelmingly 
African.  In  the  course  of  time  the  hold  of  Spain  became  loosened 
and  the  grip  of  France  thereon  became  more  rigid,  until  it  passed 
entirely  under  French  control.  The  French  revolution  with  all 
of  its  aftermath  and  dissolutions  in  the  parent  country  loosened 

375 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

her  control  over  Haiti  and  its  hordes  of  negro  slaves,  and  then 
appeared  that  remarkable  negro,  Toussant  TOuverture,  who  set 
up  a  revolution  for  the  freedom  of  his  fellow  bondmen;  but  he 
was  betrayed  and  enticed  to  make  a  visit  to  Paris,  where  he  was 
thrown  in  jail  and  there  died.  He  was  succeeded  by  another 
notorious  negro  leader,  Jean  Jacques  Dessalines,  who  carried 
on  the  revolt,  and  by  means  of  the  greatest  atrocities  the  whites 
were  assassinated  and  butchered,  their  estates  confiscated,  and 
in  -1804  the  negroes  were  the  supreme  overlords  of  Haiti,  with 
Dessalines  at  the  head  of  their  government,  but  he  was  assassi- 
nated in  1805.  

Under  the  preceding  French  rule  roads  were  built,  radiating 
throughout  the  country,  magnificent  chateaux,  the  homes  of  the 
gentry  and  landed  proprietors,  dotted  the  valleys  and  the  hills, 
and  prosperity  and  civilization  rose  to  a  high  pitch,  as  it  should 
have  done  in  this  favored  land.  Its  future  was  the  brightest  of 
any  part  of  the  new  world. 

Did  this  prosperity  and  civilization  continue  under  negro 
rule,  or  did  everything  of  promise  for  the  future  wither  and 
perish  ? 

The  sequel  will  furnish  an  answer. 


The  savages  in  the  wilds  of  Africa  never  exhibited  less 
capacity  in  governmental  affairs  or  to  govern  themselves  than 
did  these  negroes  of  Haiti,  although  many  of  their  ancestors  had 
been  in  Haiti  over  a  century,  during  which  time  they  had  em- 
braced the  Christian  religion  and  should  have  become  much 
advanced  beyond  their  savagery  in  Africa.  During  the  first  one 
hundred  years  of  negro  rule,  that  is,  up  to  the  year  1903,  twenty- 
five  presidents  held  office,  and  of  these  fifteen  were  driven  out  of 
office  by  revolutions;  thirteen  of  these  were  banished  to  foreign 
lands,  while  two  were  allowed  to  remain  to  die  at  home,  while 
they  did  quite  promptly.    Three  others  died  in  office  from  as- 

376 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

sassinations,  while  still  three  others  died  in  office  from  unex- 
plained causes,  but  it  can  be  easily  surmised  that  their  deaths 
were  not  from  natural  causes.  Another  died  of  wounds  received 
from  revolutionists,  while  still  another  committed  suicide,  and 
wonderful  to  state,  one  out  of  the  twenty-five  served  his  full 
term  of  office,  lived  to  a  good  old  age  and  died  a  natural  death! 

After  the  lapse  of  the  first  hundred  years  of  home  rule  by 
negroes  in  Haiti,  instead  of  improvement,  matters  grew  worse, 
and  chaos  followed  not  only  in  domestic  affairs  but  in  the  foreign 
relations  of  Haiti;  so  that  the  United  States,  under  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Monroe  Doctrine,  at  the  suggestion  of  France,  was 
compelled  through  her  navy  and  army  to  take  charge  of  the 
country  in  1915,  thus  taking  up  the  white  man's  burden,  which  is 
still  borne  by  this  country. 

In  the  meantime  the  houses  and  palaces  built  by  the  French 
were  destroyed,  the  cultivated  fields  became  as  the  primeval 
jungle,  while  the  roads  were  choked  and  made  impassable  by  the 
growth  of  the  giants  of  the  forests,  and  desolation  and  want 
reigned  supreme. 

What  effect  did  these  things  have  on  the  two  million  of 
negro  peasants? 

In  the  December,  1920,  National  Geographic  Magazine  (one 
of  our  best  periodicals)  there  are  three  articles  on  Haiti ;  one  by 
G.  H.  Osterhout,  Jr.,  another  by  Sir  Harry  Johnston,  and  a  third 
apparently  by  a  member  of  the  editorial  staff,  which  are  illumi- 
nating, and  on  page  500,  speaking  of  the  degradation  of  the 
entire  populace  of  Haiti  at  the  present  time,  it  is  said: 

"The  country  became  entirely  overrun  by  bands  of  robbers, 
who  generally  operated  in  more  or  less  well  defined  districts. 
These  bandit  bands  increased  in  boldness  and  were  called  'cacos,' 
'the  caterpillars,  because,  like  caterpillars,  they  covered  the 
earth  at  certain  seasons  and,  like  caterpillars,  they  ate  everything. 
The  bands  ranged  in  number  from  ten  to  several  hundred,  each 
under  a  chief  hostile  to  every  other  chief,   united  only  in  the 

377 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 
desire  to  plunder  and  rob,  and  stopping  at  no  crime  or  atroc- 

ity." 

The  negroes  having  thus  retrograded  to  the  lowest  depths  of 
savagery  and  degradation,  we  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  in 
the  course  of  this  century  of  negro  misrule  the  beautiful  French 
language,  which  all  spoke  in  1804,  likewise  disappeared,  and 
though  French  was  the  so-called  official  language,  only  three 
per  cent  of  the  population  could  read  and  write.  There  grew  up 
in  the  place  of  the  French  language  a  jargon  sometimes  called 
Creole.  This,  of  course,  is  an  unwritten  language,  and  one  of 
the  many  difficult  problems  now  confronting  American  control  is 
whether  our  government  will  undertake  to  educate  the  blacks 
of  Haiti,  and  if  so,  will  they  be  educated  in  the  French  or  English 
language. 

The  object  lessons  thus  afforded  to  the  people  of  the  South  by 
the  negroes  in  Haiti,  together  with  similar  examples  disclosed  by 
history  of  the  incapacity  of  the  negroes  for  self-government, 
much  less  for  the  government  of  civilized  white  men,  were  of 
such  a  striking  character  that  it  was  not  possible  for  sensible  men 
to  differ  in  the  conclusions  to  be  drawn  therefrom. 

How  the  South  Prospered  after  Emancipation— 

I  well  remember  that  in  certain  quarters  after  the  Civil  War 
it  was  predicted  that  as  slavery  was  abolished,  the  "lazy"  white 
men  of  the  South  would  allow  their  fields,  and  especially  those 
of  cotton,  the  surplus  crop  of  the  South,  to  go  to  waste,  and  that 
the  South  would  lose  its  supremacy  in  raising  this  indispensable 
commodity  of  the  world. 

Turning  from  vain  theories  and  prophecies  to  results  ac- 
complished what  do  we  find? 

In  a  letter  to  me  of  September  28,  1920,  Henry  Hotter,  for 
a  generation  secretary  of  the  Memphis  Cotton  Exchange, 
states  that  while  he  could  not  find  the  value  of  the  cotton  raised 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

in  i860,  the  last  full  year  of  slave  labor,  still  there  were  raised 
that  year  3,849,469  bales,  and  that  taking  the  tables  showing 
the  high  and  low  prices  of  middling  cotton  that  year,  he  figured 
the  crop  to  have  been  worth  approximately  $290,000,000. 

He  also  stated  that  in  the  year  1919,  there  were  raised 
11,326,536  bales  of  cotton,  the  value  of  which  with  the  cotton 
seed  was  $2,516,544,520,  or  nearly  ten  times  the  value  of  the 
crop  of  i860,  a  sum  so  vast  as  almost  to  stagger  the  imagination; 
and  bear  in  mind  that  beginning  with  the  world-wide  war 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  colored  people  left  the  South  for  the 
North,  being  attracted  by  the  higher  wages  offered,  especially  by 
Northern  war  industries. 

If  any  one  should  suppose  that  these  results  came  about 
without  a  struggle,  then  nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth. 

In  its  poverty  for  years  the  South  could  only  raise  this  great 
crop,  and  as  it  was  altogether  fashioned  into  the  fabrics  of 
commerce  in  the  North  and  foreign  countries,  she  was  compelled 
to  accept  the  pressure  of  foreign  capital,  that  is,  what  it  was 
willing  to  dole  out. 

Commencing  some  thirty  years  ago  the  South  began  in  a 
feeble  way  to  spin  cotton,  and  long  since  it  has  wrested  from  an 
unwilling  world  supremacy  to  a  large  extent  in  the  manufacture 
of  cotton,  so  that  far  more  thereof  is  now  spun  in  the  South  than 
in  the  North. 

Another  common  error  is  the  supposition  that  the  cotton 
crop  is  about  the  only  crop  raised  in  the  South ;  whereas  the  total 
value  of  all  crops  raised  in  the  South  in  191 9,  excluding  live 
stock,  was  $7,022,012,000;  and  as  is  well  known,  the  live  stock 
industries  in  the  South  are  now  expanding  by  leaps  and  bounds; 
while  the  approximate  value  of  all  minerals  produced  in  the 
South  for  1919  was  $1,350,000,000,  and  in  1918  the  South's 
forest  products  amounted  to  15,809,000,000  board  feet  of  lumber 
cut,  estimated  to  be  of  the  value  of  $500,000,000,  or  thereabout. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  the  net  public  indebtedness 
of  the  United  States  was  between  $2,000,000,000  and  $3,000,000,- 

379 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ooo,  and  it  was  freely  predicted  that  the  sum  was  so  great  that 
it  could  never  be  paid,  and  that  repudiation  was  inevitable;  and 
yet  the  whole  of  it  could  have  been  paid  by  the  South's  single 
cotton  crop  for  the  year  19 19-1920. 

In  a  public  statement  on  October  20,  1920,  Henry  G. 
Hester,  secretary  of  the  New  Orleans  Cotton  Exchange,  and  for 
the  past  fifty  years  an  authority  on  matters  pertaining  to  cotton, 
declared  that  for  the  years  1916,  1917,  1918,  and  1919  the  South 
received  for  its  crops  of  cotton,  including  the  seed,  the  enormous 
sum  of  over  $7,970,000,000. 

But  again,  outside  of  her  boundaries  the  South  is  thought  of 
as  purely  an  agricultural  region;  and  so  it  was  in  the  days  of 
slavery;  but  not  so  now,  for  the  approximate  value  of  all  manu- 
factured products  in  the  South  in  191 9  was  in  the  neighborhood 
of  $10,000,000,000. 

For  most  of  the  foregoing  statistics  I  am  indebted  to  Richard 
H.  Edmonds,  editor  of  the  Manufacturers  Record  of  Baltimore, 
whose  prominence  in  this  line  is  well  known. 

During  the  Civil  War  the  men  of  the  South  fought  as  never 
men  fought,  almost  without  means  and  equipments;  and  when 
overpowered  by  overwhelming  numbers  and  means,  they  sur- 
rendered ;  and  having  appealed  to  arms,  they  accepted  in  good 
faith  the  arbitrament  of  the  sword. 

They  would  not  now  have  slavery  or  a  divided  country. 

However,  when  they  laid  down  their  arms,  they  did  not  lay 
down  their  principles,  or  their  unconquerable  wills.  Of  these  no 
earthly  power  could  deprive  them ;  these  sustained  them  in  their 
saddest  hours,  and  these  form  the  inspiration  for  the  future. 

The  Attitude  of  Southern  Men  to  the  Union- 
Trie  attitude  and  feelings  of  Southern  men  subsequent  to  the 
Civil  War  were  well  expressed  by  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  of  Mississippi, 
in  the  United  States  Senate  when  he  said: 

"Mr.  President,  I  am  too  much  exhausted  to  detain  the 
Senate  longer.     I  have  said  nothing  today  that  was  intended  to 

380 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

stir  up  any  feeling  of  animosity  between  individuals  or  sections. 
I  belong  to  that  class  of  public  men  who  were  secessionists. 
Every  throb  of  my  heart  was  for  the  disunion  of  these  states. 
If  that  deducts  from  the  force  of  the  statements  that  I  have  made 
today,  it  is  due  to  candor  and  to  you  to  admit  it.  I  confess  that 
I  believed  in  the  right  of  secession  and  that  I  believed  in  the 
propriety  of  its  exercise.  I  will  say  further  that  it  was  a  cherished 
conception  of  my  mind — that  of  two  great  free  republics  on  this 
continent,  each  pursuing  its  own  destiny  and  the  destiny  of  its 
people  and  their  happiness  according  to  its  own  will. 

"But,  sir,  that  conception  is  gone;  it  is  sunk  forever  out  of 
sight.  Another  one  has  come  in  its  place;  and,  by  the  way,  it 
is  my  first  love.  The  elements  of  it  were  planted  in  my  heart  by 
my  father,  they  were  taught  by  my  mother,  and  they  were 
nourished  and  developed  by  my  own  subsequent  reflection. 
May  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  sir?  It  stands  before  me  now,  simple 
in  its  majesty  and  sublime  beauty.  It  is  that  of  one  grand, 
mighty,  indivisible  republic  upon  this  continent,  throwing  its 
loving  arms  around  all  sections,  omnipotent  for  protection, 
powerless  for  oppression,  cursing  none,  blessing  all!" 

Can  it  be  wondered  at  that  such  sentiments  excited  ap- 
plause in  the  galleries.  Lamar  afterwards  was  appointed  to, 
and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  was  a  distinguished  member  of, 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

It  is  also  interesting  to  recall  that  in  1910  President  William 
H.  Taft,  a  republican  in  politics,  appointed  Edward  Douglass 
White,  of  Louisiana,  a  former  soldier  of  the  South  in  the  Civil 
War,  to  the  position  of  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States,  the  most  august  tribunal  in  the  history  of  the 
human  race,  and  it  is  almost  needless  to  add  that  Judge  White 
continues  to  discharge  the  high  functions  of  his  office  with  univer- 
sal satisfaction,  and  as  a  worthy  successor  of  Marshall  and  Taney. 


Almost  needless  to  say,  the  building  of  schools  and  the  ex- 
pansion of  the  public  school  system  for  both  white  and  colored 
children,  the  building  of  colleges,  hospitals,  churches,  and  all 

381 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

those  things  necessary  to  the  full  development  of  a  people,  have 
kept  step  with  material  progress ;  and  in  these  the  South  will  find 
that  expression  in  all  the  lines  of  intellectual  activity  worthy  of 
her  past  history. 

When  these  lines  were  being  written  (while  sojourning  at  the 
capital  of  the  nation),  a  grateful  government  bore  to  their  last 
resting  place  the  mortal  remains  of  Dr.  William  Crawford 
Gorgas,  of  Alabama,  and  his  body  now  lies  almost  within  the 
shadow  of  the  roof-tree  of  Robert  E.  Lee. 

The  yellow  fever  scourge  years  ago  decimated  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  and  ravaged  all  the  Atlantic  coast  up  to  and 
into  New  England;  but  in  later  years  it  had  most  fearfully 
ravaged  the  Southern  states.  It  was  left  for  the  genius  and 
devotion  of  Dr.  Walter  Reed,  of  Virginia,  to  discover  in  the 
mosquito,  stegomya  faciata,  the  cause  of  yellow  fever,  and  the 
nation  has  erected  at  the  capital  the  Walter  Reed  Hospital  as  a 
slight  token  of  the  gratitude  of  mankind  for  his  labors  to  alleviate 
the  suffering  of  humanity.  Later  Doctor,  afterwards  General, 
Gorgas,  by  his  labors  and  devotion,  so  practically  applied  the 
discoveries  of  Reed  as  to  forever  free  Cuba,  the  hotbed  of  yellow 
fever  infection,  from  that  fearful  plague;  and  later  by  the  same 
means  he  so  freed  the  Panama  Zone  of  that  dread  disease  as  to 
make  the  building  of  the  great  Canal  possible.  Still  later  he  freed 
South  American  countries  of  the  same  pestilence  and  his  services 
were  sought  and  given  habitable  portions  of  far-away  Africa;  and 
while  on  his  way  to  a  distant  part  of  the  British  empire,  at  the 
solicitation  of  his  Britannic  Majesty  to  alleviate  human  suffering, 
he,  who  had  saved  thousands  of  lives,  was  suddenly  stricken  and 
passed  from  life  to  eternity  amid  the  tears  of  a  grateful  world. 


Upon  the  important,  difficult,  and  interesting  question 
already  briefly  adverted  to,  viz:  how  would  it  be  possible  for 
Southern  white  men  and  their  former  slaves  and  the  posterity  of 
each  respectively  to  live  in  harmony  after  the  abolition  of  slavery, 

382 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  ablest  and  wisest  of  men  have  expressed  their  various  opinions 
with  much  foreboding  for  the  future. 

De  Tocqueville  as  early  as  1835,  after  his  visit  to  America  in 
1 83 1,  discussed  what  would  happen  at  some  distant  day  when  in 
all  probability  slavery  would  be  abolished  and  the  slave  made  a 
freeman. 

He  stated  that,  in  the  South,  the  race  of  whites  formed  an 
aristocratic  body,  imperious  and  of  haughty  demeanor,  proud  of 
themselves  and  proud  of  their  race;  and  that  in  case  the  slaves 
were  made  free  they  would  have  three  prejudices  to  contend 
with:  the  prejudice  of  a  master  toward  his  slave,  the  prejudice  of 
race,  and  the  prejudice  of  color;  and  expressed  the  opinion  that 
the  two  races  could  not,  as  freemen,  continue  to  occupy  the  same 
country,  fortifying  his  opinion  in  Note  1,  page  379,  Vol.  I,  in 
these  words : 

"This  opinion  is  sanctioned  by  authorities  infinitely  weightier 
than  anything  that  I  can  say:  thus,  for  instance,  it  is  stated  in  the 
'Memoirs  of  Jefferson'  (as  collected  by  M.  Conseil),  'Nothing  is 
more  clearly  written  in  the  book  of  destiny  than  the  emancipation 
of  the  blacks;  and  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  two  races  will  never 
live  in  a  state  of  equal  freedom  under  the  same  government,  so 
insurmountable  are  the  barriers  which  nature,  habit,  and  opinion 
have  established  between  them." 

After  further  stating  the  very  great  fecundity  of  the  negro 
race  as  compared  to  that  of  the  whites  inhabiting  the  Southern 
states,  and  because  of  the  warm  climate  in  the  South  De  Tocqueville 
concludes  his  opinion  as  follows: 

"The  fate  of  the  white  population  of  the  Southern  States 
will,  perhaps,  be  similar  to  that  of  the  Moors  in  Spain.  After 
having  occupied  the  land  for  centuries,  it  will  perhaps  be  forced 
to  retire  to  the  country  whence  its  ancestors  came,  and  to  abandon 
to  the  negroes  the  possession  of  a  territory  which  Providence 
seems  to  have  more  peculiarly  destined  for  them,  since  they  can 
subsist  and  labour  in  it  more  easily  than  the  whites." 

383 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  American  Commonwealth  by  the  great  historian  James 
Bryce,  now  Lord  Bryce,  is  generally  conceded  to  be  the  ablest 
work  upon  our  republican  form  of  government,  at  least  the  ablest 
emanating  from  a  European. 

When  he  was  in  Memphis  in  April,  1908,  it  was  my  good 
fortune  to  be  seated  with  him  upon  more  than  one  occasion; 
and  stating  to  me  that  he  was  well  aware  that  in  the  South  the 
blood  of  the  English,  Scotch,  and  Irish  ran  almost  pure  among 
the  whites,  he  asked  many  questions  as  to  the  relative  increase 
of  the  white  population  as  compared  to  that  of  the  colored ;  the 
tendency  of  each  to  migrate  to  the  towns  and  cities,  or  to  the 
North;  the  movement  of  people  of  the  North  to  the  South;  the 
disposition  of  the  negroes  to  exercise  the  elective  franchise,  and 
as  to  their  ability  to  vote  intelligently  under  what  is  commonly 
called  the  Australian  system  of  voting,  as  well  as  many  other 
questions,  such  as  the  probability  of  national  woman  suffrage, 
then  seemingly  a  mere  distant  possibility. 

He  then  stated  in  general  terms  what  he  had  more  fully 
expressed  in  his  great  work,  viz:  that  the  American  people  had 
developed  almost  a  genius  for  solving  seemingly  impracticable 
political  problems,  saying  he  believed  that  the  white  people  of 
the  South  in  due  course  would  correctly  and  properly  work  out  a 
plan  by  which  the  white  and  colored  races  would  live  in  the 
South  in  peace  and  harmony;  and  so  they  will,  despite  the  theo- 
ries and  misgivings  of  the  wisest  men. 

Almost  needless  to  say,  this  happy  result  will  not  be  reached 
by  the  extremists  on  either  side;  far  from  it.  Some  years  ago 
there  appeared  a  book  with  the  title  Our  Brother  in  Black,  by 
Atticus  G.  Haygood  of  Georgia,  then  a  bishop  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South  and  a  former  gallant  soldier  of  the  South  in 
the  Civil  War,  in  which  he  reviewed  the  history  of  the  negro  in  the 
South  in  a  sympathetic  manner,  and  appealed  to  the  Southern 
whites  for  fair  and  generous  treatment  towards  the  negroes. 

The  late  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington  was  himself  a  slave, 
but  proved  to  be  probably  the  wisest  of  his  race  in  the  broad 

384 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

view  he  took  of  this  difficult  question  and  by  his  teachings  and 
example  proved  himself  an  admirable  leader  for  his  people,  and 
let  us  hope  that  his  teachings  will  endure  for  ages. 

I  think  it  worthy  of  note  here,  that  when  first  elected  bishop 
the  highest  honor  his  church  could  confer  on  him,  Haygood 
declined  the  great  office,  because  he  believed  that  his  services 
were  more  needed  as  President  of  Emory  and  Henry  College, 
for  which  he  was  much  criticised  and  even  censured. 

If  vindication  was  necessary,  it  came  in  due  course  years 
afterwards  when  he  was  re-elected  and  accepted  the  great  office, 
because  he  thought  he  was  answering  the  call  of  his  Lord. 

When  the  conviction  came  to  him  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
write  Our  Brother  in  Black  there  came  a  great  struggle  within, 
knowing  that  he  was  writing  so  far  ahead  of  his  times  that  he 
would  be  denounced  by  the  unthinking,  and  the  institution  of 
learning  over  which  he  presided  would  be  injured;  but  he  said, 
"I  promised  God  then,  on  my  knees,  if  he  would  help  me,  I 
would  not  fight  back  if  the  people  attacked  me  for  my  decision." 

It  is  one  of  my  pleasant  recollections  that  I  once  had  the 
privilege  of  hearing  the  clarion  voice  of  this  fearless  man  of  God 
at  the  First  Methodist  Church  in  Memphis.  When  in  Memphis, 
he  preached  to  the  whites  in  the  morning,  and  never  failed  to 
preach  to  the  colored  people  at  night. 

The  writings  and  example  of  men  like  Bishop  Haygood  and 
Dr.  Washington  will  point  the  way  to  the  solution  of  the  race 
problem  in  the  South. 

My  father,  Dr.  Franklin  J.  Malone,  and  his  forebears  from 
that  time  whereof  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not  to  the  con- 
trary, were  slave  owners ;  he  was  a  man  of  considerable  acquire- 
ments, served  in  the  Mexican  war  as  surgeon  under  the  appoint- 
ment of  President  James  K.  Polk,  was  a  member  of  the  first 
constitutional  convention  of  Mississippi  after  the  Civil  War;  was 
of  a  reflective  disposition  and  withal  a  man  of  sagacity  in  business 
affairs.  Having  spent  his  life  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Alabama,   Mississippi,  and  in  the  borders  of  Tennessee  some 

385 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

fifteen  miles  southeast  of  Memphis,  in  my  early  life  I  often 
heard  him  speak  of  the  probable  relative  increase  in  the  white 
and  colored  population  in  the  South,  being  well  aware  of  the 
predictions  of  De  Tocqueville  in  respect  thereto. 

He  differed  from  De  Tocqueville,  saying  that  freedom  would 
result  in  a  loss  of  that  rapid  increase  in  population  during  slavery, 
and  finally  result  in  a  greater  ratio  of  increase  on  the  part  of  the 
whites  than  that  of  the  colored  people,  and  time  has  vindicated 
his  predictions. 

He  pointed  out  that  as  a  slave  was  the  most  valuable  personal 
property  of  Southern  men,  that  for  self -protection  if  not  from 
worthier  motives,  the  slave  was  well  housed,  well  and  warmly 
clothed  and  shod,  well  fed  on  wholesome  food,  compelled  to 
keep  regular  hours,  and  when  sick  had  good  medical  services,  as 
well  as  other  necessary  attentions  to  restore  his  health. 

When  freedom  came,  all  of  these  restraints  and  comforts 
were  cast  to  the  winds,  thus  opening  the  door  to  all  diseases, 
especially  tuberculosis,  then  called  consumption,  which  greatly 
increased  among  them  and  was  practically  always  fatal  in  what 
was  called  galloping  consumption;  also  venereal  diseases,  and 
such  infectious  diseases  as  smallpox  and  the  like. 

What  he  particularly  complained  of  was  his  inability  to 
have  the  medicines  prescribed,  regularly  and  properly  admin- 
istered to  the  patient,  and  to  have  proper  food  prepared,  and 
generally  to  secure  proper  nursing,  saying  that  the  failure  to 
observe  his  directions  in  these  respects  led  to  many  unnecessary 
deaths;  not  that  the  attendants  meant  to  be  unkind,  but  on 
account  of  inattention,  and  a  seeming  inability  to  comprehend 
the  absolute  importance  to  strictly  observe  the  directions  given. 

In  1919  there  issued  from  the  press  at  Memphis  a  most 
interesting  monograph,  Statistics  and  Politics,  by  John  W. 
Farley,  a  well  known  and  able  Memphis  lawyer,  and  a  life-long 
and  consistent  Republican  in  politics,  which  is  brimful  of  exact 
statistical  information  upon  the  negroes  of  the  South;  and  on 
pages  23  and  24  he  says! 

386 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Between  1900  and  1910,  the  white  population  increased 
more  rapidly  than  the  negro  in  each  of  the  Southern  States  where 
negroes  are  most  numerous.  Migration  of  whites  to  the  South 
and  of  negroes  to  the  North  accounts,  in  part,  for  this  difference. 

"High  negro  mortality,  both  adult  and  infant,  and  low  birth 
rate  among  the  negroes  is  perhaps  the  principal  factor  in  account- 
ing for  this  difference.  In  the  South  the  only  States  where  the 
negroes  increased  faster  than  the  whites  were  Arkansas,  Okla- 
homa, and  West  Virginia.  These  increases  can  be  accounted  for 
by  migration  from  other  States. 

"There  is  a  general  impression  that  negroes  have  large 
families.  The  1910  census  exploded  that  theory.  This  census 
disclosed  there  was  a  decrease  in  all  the  Southern  States  of 
negroes  under  five  years  of  age.  Various  explanations  have  been 
given  for  this  decrease,  few  of  which  are  correct.  The  real  reason 
is  low  birth  rate  and  high  infant  mortality. 

"The  reasons  for  this  condition  are  economic,  sociological, 
disease,  hygienic  and  migration.  The  negro  race  affords  a  great 
field  for  research  by  the  biologist.     *     *     * 

"Investigation  discloses  that  in  the  territory  within  a 
hundred  miles  of  Memphis,  that  is,  in  east  Arkansas,  west 
Tennessee,  and  north  Mississippi,  in  which  a  large  percentage 
of  the  population  is  negroes,  part  of  the  Black  Belt  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley — that  there  are  few  negro  children,  except  in  the 
hill  counties  of  Mississippi.  In  1910  the  city  of  Memphis,  having 
a  total  population  of  131,105,  forty  per  cent  of  which  were  negroes, 
the  average  number  of  persons  per  white  family  was  4.5,  and  the 
average  number  of  persons  per  family  among  the  negroes  was 
only  3.5.     *     *     * 

"As  it  takes  an  average  of  not  less  than  four  persons  per 
family  to  perpetuate  a  race,  these  facts  would  indicate  that 
when  the  negro  ceases  to  lead  an  agricultural  life  as  a  race,  he 
dies. 

"The  conditions  under  which  •  negroes  live  in  cities  are  not 
conducive  to  adult  longevity,  and  he  is  consumed  in  the  white 
heat  of  industrialism. 

"So  that  what  was  once  predicted,  that  the  negro  would 
outnumber  the  whites  in  the  South  within  a  few  years,  is  ab- 
solutely without  foundation  at  the  present  time.  For  the  South, 
losing  negroes  by  migration,  high  death  rate,  and  low  birth  rate, 
is  gaining  whites  to  such  an  extent  that  the  proportion  between 

387 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  negro  and  white  population  is  increasing  in  favor  of  the 
whites.  In  addition  to  its  normal  increase  in  the  Southern  white 
population,  which  is  greater  than  that  of  the  negroes,  it  is  also 
gaining  whites  by  migration. 

"The  acuteness  of  the  negro  problem  has  forever  passed 
from  the  South." 

The  Negro  In  the  1920  Census— 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  the  Census  Bureau  on  June 
24,  1 92 1,  released  for  use  information  with  respect  to  the  popu- 
lation by  color,  and  which  confirms  the  views  expressed  herein- 
before with  respect  to  the  continued  decrease  of  the  percentage 
of  negro  population  in  the  United  States.  This  is  especially  so  in 
the  South. 

The  Bureau  adopted  for  the  line  between  the  North  and 
South  the  northern  boundaries  of  Delaware,  Maryland,  West 
Virginia,  Kentucky,  Arkansas,  and  Oklahoma;  and  the  West  as 
that  part  of  the  country  lying  west  of  the  eastern  limits  of  Mon- 
tana, Wyoming,  Colorado,  and  New  Mexico. 

The  negro  population  for  1920  was  10,463,013,  as  compared 
to  9,827,763  for  1910.  This  shows  a  percentage  of  increase  of 
only  6.5  per  cent,  while  the  percentage  of  increase  in  the  1910 
census  was  1 1.2,  and  for  the  decade  from  1890  to  1900  the  in- 
crease was  18  per  cent. 

It  is  also  important  to  note  in  what  sections  the  small  in- 
crease occurred,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  West  55.1  per  cent  of  the 
increase  occurred,  and  43.3  percentage  of  the  increase  was  in  the 
North,  while  in  the  South  the  percentage  of  increase  was  only  1.9. 
The  increase  of  negro  population  in  the  South  was  almost  ar- 
rested. 

The  total  numerical  increase  during  the  last  decade  was 
635,250,  of  which  472,418,  or  nearly  three-fourths,  took  place  in 
the  North  and  West,  while  only  162,832,  or  about  one-fourth, 
was  reported  in  the  South,  despite  the  fact  that  about  eighty-five 
per  cent  of  the  total  negro  population  is  still  found  in  the  South. 

388 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  negro  population  is  distributed  as  follows:  In  the  South, 
8,912,259;  in  the  North,  1,472,163;  in  the  West,  78,591;  total, 
10,463,013. 

In  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and  Louisi- 
ana there  has  been  an  actual  decrease  in  the  negro  population 
during  the  last  decade. 

The  rate  of  increase  in  the  white  population  during  the  last 
decade  was  sixteen  per  cent,  while  the  white  increase  for  the 
decade  ending  in  1910  was  22.3  per  cent. 

The  bulletin  referred  to  did  not  give  details  as  to  the  in- 
crease of  the  white  population  in  the  Southern  States,  but  the 
figures  given  show  the  following  results : 

1920  1910 

South  Atlantic  States 9*648,935       8,071,603 

East  South  Central  States.  .       6,367,547      5,754,326 
West  South  Central  States.       8,117,045      6,721,491 


24,133,527     20,547,420 
20,547,420 


Increase 3,586,107 

By  simple  calculation  it  will  be  found  that  the  percentage  of 
increase  in  the  white  population  of  the  South  in  the  last  decade 
was  slightly  over  17.5,  while,  as  stated  above,  the  average  per- 
centage of  white  increase  in  all  the  States  was  only  sixteen  per 
cent,  a  difference  in  favor  of  the  South  of  1.5  per  cent. 

This  is  the  result,  notwithstanding,  as  is  well  known,  that 
nearly  all  of  the  foreign  immigrants  find  homes  either  in  the  North 
or  West,  comparatively  few  coming  South. 

It  thus  appears  that  each  day  the  South  is  growing  whiter 
and  whiter,  her  increase  springing  mainly  from  that  sturdy 
stock  of  unconquerable  wills,  which  Farley  delights  to  speak  of 
as  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  of  men,  the  name  Anglo-Saxon  being 
found  in  the  charters  of  Alfred  the  Great. 

389 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

These  same  Anglo-Saxons  under  Alfred  drove  the  invaders 
from  their  shores,  and  once  again  settled  down  as  the  overlords 
of  their  own  country,  their  sway  remaining  unchallenged  to  this 
day. 

So  surely  as  the  laws  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  the  prin- 
ciples of  evolution,  still  sway  the  destinies  of  men  and  of  nations, 
just  as  certainly  will  the  remote  posterity  of  these  Anglo-Saxons 
in  the  time  of  Alfred,  now  living  in  the  South,  be  and  remain  the 
supreme  overlords  of  the  States  where  their  ancestors  subdued 
the   wilderness.  

The  exodus  of  the  colored  people  to  the  North,  I  am  con- 
fident, will  be  of  advantage  to  all  concerned ;  for  in  no  other  way 
will  the  whites  there  realize  the  difficulties  the  whites  of  the 
South  labor  under;  thereby  lessening  their  criticisms  of  the  South, 
while  the  negroes  will  learn  the  folly  of  the  fanatical  and  false 
appeals  made  to  them  for  purely  political  purposes. 


There  is  another  most  interesting  feature  attendant  upon 
migration  of  colored  people  from  the  South  to  the  North,  es- 
pecially since  the  world-wide  war,  viz:  The  numerous  race 
riots  which  for  the  first  time  have  broken  out  in  Washington, 
the  capital  of  the  nation,  in  Chicago,  East  St.  Louis,  Phila- 
delphia, Ohio,  and  in  far-away  Duluth,  near  the  Canadian 
border,  and  last,  but  not  least,  in  "Bleeding  Kansas." 

It  will  be  recalled  that  in  its  early  history  Kansas  became  the 
scene  of  a  bitter  and  bloody  struggle  over  the  negro.  It  was  in 
this  state  that  the  infatuated  and  fanatical  John  Brown  gained 
national  notoriety,  which  so  fired  his  imagination  that  he  rushed 
to  his  fate  at  Harper's  Ferry.  At  a  still  later  date  and  after 
emancipation,  Kansas  held  out  itself  as  the  promised  land  for 
the  negroes  of  the  South,  the  safe  asylum  to  which  they  were 
eloquently  conjured  to  emigrate,  and  many  heeded  the  voice  of 
Kansas,  and  made  that  state  their  home. 

390 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

And  yet  the  dispatches  in  December,  1920,  startled  the 
public  with  the  news  that  a  place  in  Kansas,  by  some  strange 
coincidence  called  "Independence,"  was  the  scene  of  a  bloody 
race  riot,  following  close  upon  the  heels  of  similar  race  riots  in 
the  other  Northern  cities  mentioned  above. 


Unfortunately,  lynching  of  negroes  have  occurred  in  the 
South  too  frequently,  but  the  origin  of  these  lynchings  was  at 
first  on  account  of  the  unspeakable  crime  of  black  men  against 
white  women,  and  then  spread  to  the  punishment  of  other 
crimes,  the  lynchings  being  confined  to  the  perpetrator  of  the 
offense. 

In  these  many  new  race  riots  of  the  North  a  feature  of  the 
conflicts  has  manifested  itself  never  heard  of  in  the  South,  viz: 
almost  without  exception  the  mob  turns  from  the  perpetrators  of 
the  offense  to  the  negro  race  in  general,  winding  up  with  an  at- 
tack on  the  negro  section  of  the  city,  thus  venting  its  wrath  by 
an  attempt  to  run  the  negroes  from  the  country. 

This  reminds  us  again  of  DeTocqueville,  who  stated  it  to  be  a 
strange  fact  that,  while  in  the  North  slavery  was  abolished,  still 
he  found  the  white  people  there  less  tolerant  of  the  negro  and 
his  peculiarities  than  the  white  people  of  the  South  were,  who 
manifested  a  kindly  interest  and  sympathy  for  the  blacks 
entirely  unknown  in  the  North.  Time  has  proven  the  correct- 
ness of  his  observations  in  this  respect. 


That  great  American  general,  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  had  felt 
the  shock  of  the  half  clothed  and  ill-fed  soldiers  of  the  South  on 
many  far-flung  and  bloody  fields  of  battle,  and  learned  to  respect 
them.  When  General  Lee  at  Appomattox  offered  his  sword 
as  a  token  of  his  surrender,  General  Grant  with  a  lofti- 
ness of  spirit  that  did  credit  to  his  magnanimity,  declined  to 
accept  it. 

391 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

He  was  afterwards  president  for  eight  years,  the  saddest 
years  for  the  South,  and  no  one  possessed  better  opportunities 
for  knowing  the  South  than  he. 

The  Manufacturers  Record  in  an  editorial  recently  had  this 
to  say: 

"The  time  may  come  when  the  Anglo-Saxonism  of  the 
South  will  be  the  saving  factor  in  curbing  the  Bolshevistic 
agitators  of  aliens  and  those  dominated  by  aliens  throughout 
much  of  the  North  and  West.  Those  who  have  for  years  be- 
moaned the  fact  that  the  South  did  not  share  in  the  great  inrush 
of  foreign  population  may  yet  rejoice  that  in  the  Providence  of 
God  this  section  does  not  have  that  problem  to  the  same  extent 
as  the  West  and  the  North  must  endure." 

Upon  reading  the  foregoing  the  son  of  General  Grant  wrote 
the  following  note,  published  in  that  journal  of  November  6, 
1 91 9  (p.  136),  as  follows: 

Annapolis,  Md.,  October  26,  1919. 
"To  the  Editor  the  Manufacturers  Record, 
Baltimore,  Md. 
"Dear  Sir :     I  enclose  a  clipping  from  your  paper  of  September 
18,  1 919.     It  may  interest  you  to  know  that  I  have  heard  my 
beloved  father  several  times  make  this  same  remark.     That  was 
forty  years  ago  and  more. 

"Respectfully, 

"Jesse  R.  Grant." 

Those  men  of  small  vision  in  the  North  and  mostly  moved  by 
partisan  bias  would  do  well  to  remember  what  General  Grant  so 
often  said,  and  who  thereby  vindicated  the  wisdom  as  well  as  the 
patriotism  of  the  Southern  people. 

It  is  one  of  my  pleasant  recollections  to  have  met  General 
Grant  in  Memphis,  after  his  memorable  trip  through  foreign 
lands  after  he  had  served  as  chief  magistrate  of  this  great  re- 
public. 

392 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

This  may  be  called  a  digression;  so  be  it,  but  the  questions 
discussed  are  of  the  profoundest  interest,  not  only  to  both  the 
white  and  the  colored  races  but  to  all  students  of  the  history  of 
the  human  races. 

Moreover,  we  will  see  in  the  next  chapter  that  the  Chicka- 
saws  were  slaveholders,  and  that  the  United  States,  to  its  dis- 
credit, sought  to  force  upon  them  miscegenation,  which  to  the 
credit  of  the  Chickasaws  they  fought  under  most  disadvantageous 
circumstances,  through  a  course  of  many  years,  to  a  triumphant 
termination. 


393 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   STORY   OF   THE   CHICKASAWS   CONTINUED    SINCE   THE 
TREATIES  OF  1832  AND  1834 

The  original  inspiration  for  writing  this  sketch  was,  by  a 
recital  of  the  plain  facts  constituting  the  story  of  the  primitive 
Chickasaws,  to  pay  a  just  tribute  to  their  illustrious  dead.  Their 
deeds  of  unexampled  heroism  some  two  hundred  years  ago  to  a 
large  extent  won  for  the  English-speaking  people  the  continent 
of  North  America. 

Being  a  firm  believer  in  the  great  destiny  of  the  English- 
speaking  peoples,  it  is  my  sincere  desire  to  see  them  brought 
closer  and  closer  together,  and  moved  by  a  common  impulse  to 
guide  the  destiny  of  the  human  race  onward  and  upward.  In 
keeping  with  my  original  purpose,  this  sketch  would  naturally  end 
with  the  treaties  of  1832  and  1834;  but  as  it  has  expanded  in 
details  far  beyond  my  original  design,  I  have  concluded  to 
extend  it,  so  as  in  a  short  compass  to  bring  the  story  down  to  the 
present  time.  Singularly,  I  have  never  personally  met  a  Chicka- 
saw Indian.  I  hope  that  an  awakened  interest  in  the  story  of  the 
Chickasaws  may  eventuate  in  paying  a  just,  though  tardy, 
tribute  to  their  ancient  heroes  who  sleep  east  of  the  Mississippi 
in  that  great  domain  over  which  once  they  were  the  undisputed 
overlords,  by  an  amelioration  of  the  conditions  surrounding  their 
posterity  of  the  present  day  as  well  as  in  the  years  to  come. 

Centenary  of  Chickasaw  Triumphs— 

By  a  strange  kind  of  coincidence  it  so  happened  that  the 
year  1836  was  chosen  by  the  United  States  government  to  round 
up  the  Chickasaws,  and  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  to  drive  them 
from  their  ancient  home  in  what  is  now  north  Mississippi  and 

394 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

force  them  across  the  Mississippi  to  the  far  West,  there  to  war 
with  the  fierce  wild  Indian  who  then  roamed  over  the  vast 
Western  plains. 

The  year  1836  was  the  one  hundredth  anniversary,  the  cen- 
tenary year,  of  the  signal  defeat  by  the  Chickasaws  on  May  20, 
1736,  of  D'Artaguette,  and  six  days  thereafter,  or  on  May  26, 
1736,  of  the  no  less  signal  and  important  defeat  by  the  Chickasaws 
of  Bienville  at  the  battle  of  Ackia,  accounts  of  which  are  set 
forth  in  the  ninth  chapter,  ante. 

It  is  true  that  these  conflicts  did  not  mark  the  end  of  the 
endeavors  of  the  noble  French  pioneers  to  win  the  North  Ameri- 
can continent  for  the  lilies  of  France,  but  they  did  mark  the  be- 
ginning of  the  end.  We  have  seen  how  Bienville  in  1739  again 
invaded  the  Chickasaw  country,  backed  by  the  authority  and 
power  of  the  imperial  government  of  France,  and  when  he  was 
forced  to  retire  as  governor  of  Louisiana,  because  of  the  uncon- 
querable spirit  of  the  Chickasaws,  that  he  was  succeeded  by 
Vaudreuil,  who,  by  the  special  authority  of  the  French  govern- 
ment in  1752,  again  invaded  the  land  of  the  Chickasaws,  there 
to  meet  the  fourth  defeat  of  French  arms  against  the  intrepid 
Chickasaws. 

We  have  seen  how  Pickett  rejoiced  to  recall  that  the  primi- 
tive Chickasaws,  called  by  him  the  bravest  of  the  brave,  once 
were  the  overlords  of  this  section  of  our  great  country,  moving 
his  soul  to  appeal  to  the  young  manhood  of  this  country  to 
cherish  the  memories  of  their  noble  example  in  a  patriotic  devo- 
tion to  their  country. 

And  yet,  so  short  are  our  memories,  and  shall  I  add  such  has 
been  the  paucity  of  our  gratitude,  that  I  have  searched  in  vain 
for  even  a  reference  to  the  fact  that  the  year  chosen  to  drive  the 
Chickasaws  from  their  ancient  homes  in  1836,  marked  the  cen- 
tenary of  the  sanguinary  conflicts  which,  to  such  a  great  extent, 
determined  that  the  English  and  not  the  French  should  dominate 
this  continent,  and  that  this  led  to  the  formation  of  our  present 
republican  form  of  government,  the  hope  of  the  world. 

395 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  Chickasaws  having  failed  to  find  a  home  in  the  West, 
pursuant  to  the  treaty  of  August  31,  1830,  which  it  appears  was 
not  ratified  (2  Kappler,  p.  1035),  they  were  rounded  up  by 
United  States  troops  and  forced  to  abandon  their  homes,  and 
seek  another  in  the  far  wild  West,  inhabited  then  by  still  wilder 
tribes  of  the  red  men;  and  as  has  already  been  noted  by  Pickett, 
there  they  came  in  conflict  with  the  aborigines  of  that  country, 
over  whom  they  finally  prevailed. 

Some  years  ago  by  chance  I  came  across  the  deposition  of 
Marcus  B.  Winchester,  the  first  mayor  of  Memphis,  in  which  he 
briefly  referred  to  the  great  number  of  Chickasaws  whom  he  had 
ferried  across  the  great  Mississippi  at  Memphis  in  1836,  on  their 
way  to  the  far  West;  this  being  the  same  place  where,  according 
to  Lincecum  and  Barton,  their  conquering  ancestors  had  crossed 
the  same  river,  coming  from  the  West  some  five  hundred  years 
prior  thereto. 

It  would  serve  no  good  purpose,  if  indeed  it  was  possible,  to 
picture  the  suffering  and  agony  of  the  Chickasaws  in  making  this 
trip;  and  suffice  it  to  say  that  many  perished  on  the  way,  and 
those  who  may  be  desirous  of  pursuing  the  subject  further,  are 
referred  to  Cushman,  who  gives  many  details  in  respect  thereto. 

I  can  not  forbear,  however,  to  acquaint  the  reader  with  the 
painful  impression  made  upon  Alexis  Charles  Henri  Clerel  De 
Tocqueville,  the  celebrated  French  statesman  and  philosopher, 
upon  seeing  the  first  detachment  of  the  Choctaws  cross  the 
Mississippi  River  in  1831  at  Memphis.  Upon  his  return  to 
France  he  brought  out  in  1835  his  monumental  work,  Democracy 
in  America,  the  first  book  of  reasoned  politics  on  democratic 
government  in  America.  After  a  review  of  the  characteristics  of 
the  Indians,  their  proud  and  haughty  disposition,  their  passionate 
love  of  freedom,  their  bravery  and  fearlessness  of  death,  and  their 
contempt  for  servitude,  he  states  that  the  settlement  of  the 
colonists  in  America,  resulting  in  driving  away  the  game,  was 
depriving  the  Indians  of  their  very  means  of  subsistence;  and 
that  in  his  opinion  it  was  but  a  short  time  when  they  would 

396 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

entirely  perish  from  the  face  of  the  earth.     In  Vol.  I,  page  34S 
he  says: 

"At  the  end  of  the  year  1831,  whilst  I  was  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Mississippi  at  a  place  named  by  Europeans  Memphis, 
there  arrived  a  numerous  band  of  Choctaws  (or  Chactas,  as  they 
are  called  by  the  French  in  Louisiana). 

'These  savages  had  left  their  country,  and  were  endeavoring 
to  gain  the  right  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  where  they  hoped  to 
find  an  asylum  which  had  been  promised  them  by  the  American 
government.  It  was  then  the  middle  of  winter,  and  the  cold 
was  unusually  severe;  the  snow  had  frozen  hard  upon  the  ground, 
and  the  river  was  drifting  huge  masses  of  ice.  The  Indians  had 
their  families  with  them;  and  they  brought  in  their  train  the 
wounded  and  the  sick,  with  children  newly  born,  and  old  men 
upon  the  verge  of  death.  They  possessed  neither  tents  nor 
waggons,  but  only  their  arms  and  some  provisions.  I  saw  them 
embark  to  pass  the  mighty  river,  and  never  will  that  solemn 
spectacle  fade  from  my  remembrance.  No  cry,  no  sob  was  heard 
amongst  the  assembled  crowd;  all  were  silent.  Their  calamities 
were  of  ancient  date,  and  they  knew  them  to  be  irremediable. 
The  Indians  had  all  stepped  into  the  bark  which  was  to  carry 
them  across,  but  their  dogs  remained  upon  the  bank:  As  soon 
as  these  animals  perceived  that  their  masters  were  finally  leaving 
the  shore,  they  set  up  a  dismal  howl,  and,  plunging  all  together 
into  the  icy  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  they  swam  after  the  boat." 

The  Chickasaws  Purchase  a  New  Home  in  the  Choctaw  Country— 

By  a  treaty  concluded  January  17,  1837,  at  Doakville,  near 
Fort  Towson  in  the  Choctaw  country,  between  the  Chickasaws 
and  Choctaws,  it  was  agreed  that  the  Chickasaws  were  to  have 
the  privilege  of  forming  a  district  within  the  limits  of  the  Choctaw 
nation,  a  large  part  of  that  people  having  theretofore  moved 
from  their  ancient  home  in  southern  Mississippi  and  acquired  a 
home  in  the  West. 

The  Chickasaws  were  to  have  an  equal  representation  in  the 
general  council  of  the  Choctaws  and  were  put  on  an  equal  footing, 
with  some  minor  exceptions.  A  designated  portion  of  territory 
was  set  aside  for  the  Chickasaws,  for  which  they  were  to  pay  five 

397 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dollars,  thirty  thousand  of  which 
was  paid  in  cash,  the  balance  on  time. 

Speaking  of  this  purchase  Reford  Bond,  in  a  hearing  before 
a  subcommittee  on  Indian  affairs  (p.  66),  on  August  17,  1914, 
very  correctly  said  : 

"It  is  a  historical  fact  that  when  the  Chickasaws  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  Choctaw  nation  West,  they  were  placed  on  a 
scope  of  country  immediately  adjacent  to  the  plain  Indian  or  the 
wild  tribes.  They  stood  on  the  very  frontier  and  beat  back  and 
fought  off  the  hostile  raids  and  encroachments  of  the  warlike 
Comanche,  Kiowas,  and  Apache.  They  stood  on  the  very 
threshold  of  danger  and  stayed  the  hand  of  the  aggressive 
Cheyenne  and  brave  Arapahoe.  They  did  all  this  for  the  Choc- 
taw tribe.  They  stood  between  the  Choctaw  nation  and  danger. 
They  purchased  their  rights  for  a  valuable  consideration.  Could 
a  bona  fide  purchaser  have  made  a  greater  sacrifice?" 

At  this  time,  as  Bond  observes,  the  Chickasaws 

"were  armed  in  part  with  a  bow  and  a  quiver  of  arrows; 
were  armed  in  part  with  a  rifle,  a  bullet  mold,  and  a  shot  pouch. 
They  were  poorly  clad  and  scantily  provisioned.  The  entire  path 
of  their  emigration  is  marked  by  the  tombstones  of  their  fallen." 


For  some  years  after  this  treaty  these  two  peoples  were  re- 
ferred to  as  composing  a  composite  tribe  or  nation,  or  as  the 
Choctaws  and  Chickasaws. 

Treaty  of  Washington,  185£— 

On  June  22,  1852,  at  Washington,  the  first  treaty  was  entered 
into  between  the  United  States  and  the  Chickasaws  after  their 
removal  to  the  West,  the  most  of  it  consisting  of  just  complaints 
of  the  Chickasaws  with  respect  to  the  failure  of  the  United  States 
to  dispose  of  their  lands  in  north  Mississippi,  which  the  United 
States  promised  to  do;  and  also  promised  to  have  an  account 
taken  of  the  management  and  disbursement  of  the  Chickasaw 

398 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

funds,  the  Indians  claiming  that  they  had  been  subjected  to 
losses  and  expenses  which  properly  should  have  been  borne  by 
the  United  States. 

The  gross  mismanagement  of  the  sale  of  these  lands  of  the 
Chickasaws  by  the  United  States  can  scarcely  be  considered 
without  the  conviction  that  dishonesty  was  one  of  the  controlling 
factors.  Speaking  of  the  just  complaint  of  the  Chickasaws  in 
reference  to  their  unjust  treatment  in  this  most  important  matter 
to  them,  Congressman  William  H.  Murray  on  April  24,  1914 
(p.  41),  in  the  House  of  Representatives  compared  the  treatment 
of  the  Chickasaws  to  that  of  the  Choctaws,  saying: 

"They  left  with  the  government  the  selling  of  the  residue  of 
the  land  in  Mississippi.  When  the  government  sold  it,  they  got 
$8,000,000  for  it,  but  it  cost  the  Indians  $6,000,000  for  the 
government  to  sell  it,  leaving  the  Indians  a  residue  of  $2,000,000, 
and  then  the  Indians  had  to  pay  twenty-five  per  cent  of  it  to 
attorneys  to  fight  the  government  for  the  $2,000,000,  and  won, 
but  it  was  fifty-five  years  before  they  got  that  $2,000,000. 

'This,  my  friends,  brings  us  to  the  proposition,  why  is  it 
that  those  Indians  employ  attorneys?  They  employ  attorneys 
because  it  has  never  cost  them  more  than  twenty-five  per  cent, 
but  when  they  have  left  it  to  the  government  they  have  had  to 
pay  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  per  cent  plus.  They  em- 
ploy attorneys  because  it  is  good  business  sense." 

Ancient  Cemetery  at  Pontotoc— 

There  is  couched  away  this  pathetic  provision  with  respect 
to  the  Chickasaw  lands  in  Mississippi: 

"Provided  that  a  tract  of  land,  including  the  graveyard  near 
the  town  of  Pontotoc,  where  many  of  the  Chickasaws  and  their 
white  friends  are  buried,  and  not  exceeding  four  acres  in  quantity, 
shall  be  and  is  hereby  set  apart  and  conveyed  to  the  said  town 
of  Pontotoc,  to  be  held  sacred  for  the  purpose  of  a  public  burial 
ground  forever." 

Thus  we  find  this  note  of  pathos  hid  away  in  the  dry  ver- 
biage of  a  formal  treaty,  reminding  us  that  the  memories  of  the 

399 


The  Chickasatu  Natioft 

Chickasaws  still  brooded  over  the  scenes  where  reposed  the 
ashes  of  their  intrepid  ancestors. 

I  learn  from  E.  T.  Winston,  of  Pontotoc,  that  the  cemetery 
referred  to  is  still  kept  up  by  an  association  of  ladies,  and  that 
the  grave  of  Rev.  T.  C.  Stuart,  who  was  affectionately  called 
"Father  Stuart,"  is  neatly  kept  up  in  an  attractive  part  of  the 
cemetery.  In  January,  1821,  the  centenary  of  the  founding  of 
the  Monroe  Mission  Station  will  occur,  for  in  that  year  Rev. 
Stuart  first  preached  the  Christian  religion  to  the  Chickasaws, 
carrying  the  gospel  into  the  wilderness  of  north  Mississippi, 
where  he  spent  a  lifetime  of  service  to  his  Master  among  the 
Chickasaws,  winning  their  unbounded  love  and  affection,  and 
dying,  his  tired  body  found  repose  among  his  red  brethren  to 
whom  he  had  ministered  so  long  and  whom  he  loved  so  well. 

Why  should  not  the  Christian  people  of  that  vicinity  fittingly 
celebrate  the  centenary  referred  to  by  appropriate  ceremonies 
and  services? 

I  regret  to  learn  that  the  Indian  graves  have  not  been  marked 
or  kept  up.  I  am  told  that  the  portion  of  the  cemetery  where 
their  ashes  repose  remains  intact ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  there 
will  be  a  quickening  interest  aroused  to  care  for  the  last  resting 
place  of  those  ancient  Chickasaws  whose  history  reads  like  a  page 
torn  from  the  book  of  romance. 


Difficulties  having  arisen  between  the  Choctaws  and  Chicka- 
saws with  respect  to  the  line  of  boundary  between  them,  commis- 
sioners were  appointed  by  the  respective  nations,  and  on  Novem- 
ber 4,  1854,  a  treaty  was  concluded  at  Dookville,  fixing  this  line 
to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parties. 

Treaty  at  Washington,  1855— 

The  political  connection  existing  between  the  Choctaws  and 
Chickasaws  having  given  rise  to  unhappy  and  injurious  dis- 
cussions between  them  with  a  view  to  a  readjustment  of  their 

400 


The  Chickasaio  Nation 

relations,  a  treaty  was  entered  into  between  themselves  and  also 
with  the  United  States,  at  Washington,  on  June  2,  1855,  or 
exactly  three  years  after  the  first  treaty  referred  to  above. 

The  future  boundaries  between  the  Chickasaws  and  Choc- 
taws  were  established,  and  the  United  States  guaranteed  to  them 
the  lands  within  the  respective  limits,  so  that  each  and  every 
member  of  either  tribe  should  have  an  equal  and  undivided 
interest  in  the  whole ;  provided  no  part  was  to  be  sold  without  the 
consent  of  both  tribes,  and  also  provided  that  said  land  should 
revert  to  the  United  States  in  case  the  Indians  became  extinct  or 
abandoned  the  same. 

I  may  be  wrong,  but  I  think  such  provisions  were  not 
creditable  to  the  United  States. 

How  different  had  the  terms  and  the  very  tone  of  these 
treaties  become,  since  the  first  one  in  1786,  which  James  Robert- 
son had  Piomingo  to  travel  near  a  thousand  miles  overland  to 
conclude,  in  order  that  protection  might  be  furnished  by  the 
Chickasaws  to  the  feeble,  infant  white  settlement  at  Nashville? 

Then  the  Chickasaws  were  referred  to  as  the  Chickasaw 
Nation,  the  word  nation  being  spelt  with  a  big  N;  now  the  same 
people  are  referred  to  as  a  tribe,  using  a  small  t,  all  of  which 
evinces  a  small  spirit  in  those  who  at  that  time  represented  the 
United  States. 

But  the  other  clause,  making  the  United  States  the  residuary 
legatee  of  the  Chickasaws,  in  case  they  become  extinct,  I  can 
not  trust  myself  to  properly  characterize.  By  their  cruel  ex- 
pulsion from  their  old  home  under  military  escorts,  their  numbers 
had  been  decimated,  and  before  they  could  adjust  themselves  to 
new  surroundings,  and  become  acclimated  in  their  new  home, 
disease  had  made  other  great  inroads  among  them,  and  it  was 
then  a  matter  of  doubt  and  speculation  whether  they  could 
withstand  these  changed  conditions;  many  believing,  and  the 
verbiage  of  this  treaty  suggested,  that  their  complete  extinction 
was  near  at  hand;  and  the  United  States  demanded  to  be  and 
was  made  in  effect,  the  residuary  legatee  of  the  lands  for  which 

401 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Chickasaw  money  had  been  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  Choc- 
taws,  and  to  which  the  United  States  had  not  the  shadow  of  a 
claim. 

It  was  the  same  as  if  some  big  bully  would  approach  a 
feeble  old  man,  supposed  to  be  near  death,  and  suggesting  his 
early  demise,  should  demand  to  be  made  his  legatee. 

For  certain  land  relinquished  the  Choctaws  were  to  receive 
six  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  the  Chickasaws  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars ;  there  were  provisions  that  all  existing  laws  were 
to  remain  in  force  until  the  Chickasaws  should  adopt  a  constitu- 
tion and  laws  superseding  the  same;  and  other  provisions  were 
made  not  deemed  necessary  to  mention,  except  that  this  treaty 
was  to  abrogate  all  previous  treaties  inconsistent  therewith. 

Of  course  there  was  the  usual  twaddle  about  the  United 
States  taking  the  Chickasaws  under  their  protection,  to  remove 
intruders  on  their  lands,  etc.,  which  the  grantees  never  kept,  or 
intended  to  perform. 

The  Chickasaws  and  the  Civil  War— 

The  secession  of  South  Carolina  on  December  20,  i860,  from 
the  Union  was  fraught  with  profound  importance  to  all  the 
Indians;  and  especially  to  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  who  were 
owners  of  slaves,  and  were  themselves  men  of  the  South;  and, 
moreover,  the  people  in  Arkansas  and  Texas  were  their  nearest 
neighbors,  and  with  whom  they  were  more  intimately  connected 
in  a  business  and  official  way  than  any  other  part  of  the  country. 

The  year  i860  was  disastrous  to  the  Western  country,  in- 
cluding the  Indian  territory,  on  account  of  a  severe  drouth,  and 
the  Indians  were  in  need.  The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  then 
held  in  trust  for  these  Indians  stocks  to  the  amount  of  $3,449,- 
241.82,  and  all  of  this  was  due  from  Southern  States,  except 
$166,000  due  from  Indiana  and  Pennsylvania  and  $251,330  due 
from  the  United  States,  and,  of  course,  the  Indians  were  told 
that  in  case  they  did  not  take  sides  with  their  brothers  of  the 
South,  they  would  forfeit  all  the  Southern  States  owed  them. 

402 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  a  speech  of  William  H.  Seward  in  the  campaign  of  i860 
"The  National  Idea,  Its  Perils  and  Triumphs,"  he  said:  "The 
Indian  territory,  also,  south  of  Kansas  must  be  vacated  by  the 
Indians."  This  was  used  with  telling  effect  among  all  the 
Indians,  and  when  it  is  recalled  that  the  most  of  the  United 
States  officials,  as  well  as  the  missionaries,  were  pro-Southern, 
and  many  of  them  intense  partisans  favoring  secession,  and  that 
the  Confederate  Congress  took  immediate  and  vigorous  action  to 
win  over  the  Indians,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  succeeded, 
especially  as  the  United  States  seemed  entirely  apathetic  so  far 
as  the  Indians  were  concerned. 

In  her  preface  to  American  Indian  as  Slaveholder  and  Seces- 
sionist (p.  14),  Annie  Heloise  Abel  very  properly  says: 

"It  was  the  Indian  country,  rather  than  the  Indian  owner, 
that  the  Confederacy  wanted  to  be  sure  of  possessing;  for  Indian 
territory  occupied  a  position  of  strategic  importance,  from  both 
the  economic  and  military  point  of  view.  The  possession  of  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  for  the  political  and  the  institutional 
consolidation  of  the  South." 

While  her  writings  show  that  she  had  no  sympathy  with  the 
movement  for  secession,  that  most  unfortunate  movement  for  the 
South  as  well  as  for  the  nation,  still  it  was  evidently  her  purpose 
to  be  fair ;  and  speaking  (p.  83)  further  on  the  matter  she  said : 

"No  one  can  deny  that,  in  the  interests  of  the  Confederate 
cause,  the  project  of  sending  emissaries  even  to  the  Indians  was 
a  wise  measure,  or  refuse  to  admit  that  the  contrasting  inactivity 
and  positive  indifference  of  the  North  was  foolhardy  in  the 
extreme.  It  indicated  a  self-complacency  for  which  there  was 
no  justification. 

"More  than  that  can  with  truth  be  said;  for  from  the  stand- 
point of  political  wisdom  and  foresight,  the  inactivity  where  the 
Indians  were  concerned  was  conduct  most  reprehensible." 

So  far  as  my  researches  have  extended,  the  Chickasaws  were 
the  first  of  the  Indians  to  take  official  cognizance  of  the  move- 

403 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ment  of  the  secession  of  the  Southern  States;  for  on  January  5, 
1861,  both  houses  of  the  Chickasaw  legislature  passed  a  joint 
resolution  instructing  their  Governor,  Cyrus  Harris,  to  appoint 
four  commissioners  for  the  Chickasaw  nation,  to  meet  like  com- 
missioners representing  the  Choctaw,  Creek,  Cherokee,  and 
Seminole  Indians, 

"for  the  purpose  of  entering  into  some  compact,  not  inconsis- 
tent with  the  laws  and  treaties  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
future  security  and  protection  of  the  rights  and  citizens  of  said 
nations  in  the  event  of  a  change  in  the  United  States,"  etc. 

It  will  be  noted  that  secession  was  not  proposed,  but  on  the 
contrary  the  proposed  action  was  for  the  mutual  protection  of  the 
various  tribes,  not  inconsistent  with  the  laws  and  treaties.  It 
was  left  for  the  Creeks  to  appoint  the  time  and  place  of  meeting. 
They  named  the  Creek  Agency  and  February  17,  1861,  as  the 
place  and  time  for  the  conference.  There  were  but  few  delegates 
in  attendance  and  none  from  the  Chickasaws  or  Choctaws,  the 
reason  therefor  not  being  known;  nor  is  it  known  what  action, 
if  any,  was  taken.  John  Ross,  the  principal  chief  of  the  Chero- 
kees,  was  opposed  to  a  withdrawal  from  the  Union,  though  at 
times  he  aided  those  who  were  for  secession. 

On  February  7,  1861,  the  Choctaws  passed  resolutions 
expressing  their  feelings  and  sentiments  in  reference  to  the 
political  disagreement  between  the  North  and  the  South  and 
stating  their  deep  regret,  with  the  expressed  hope  that  an  ami- 
cable agreement  would  be  arrived  at;  but  in  case  that  could  not 
be  done,  they  declared  they  would  follow  the  natural  affections, 
education,  and  institutions  of  the  Choctaw  people  which  in- 
dissolubly  linked  them  to  the  Southern  people,  and  to  their  near 
neighbors  in  Arkansas  and  Texas.  In  April,  1861,  it  is  said  a 
delegation  of  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws  in  Washington  assured 
the  commissioners  of  Indian  affairs  that  they  intended  to  remain 
neutral ;  but  it  may  be  added  that  this  was  impossible,  for  John 
Ross  failed  in  his  efforts  to  have  the  Cherokees  remain  as  neutrals, 

404 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

though  they  lived  north  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws 
bordering  on  Kansas,  and  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Cherokees 
were  more  disposed  to  cling  to  the  United  States  than  were  the 
other  members  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes. 

On  May  8,  1861,  B.  Burroughs,  brigadier-general  of  the 
Arkansas  troops,  wrote  Cyrus  Harris,  governor  of  the  Chicka- 
saws, that  he  had  just  received  news  that  Arkansas  by  a  vote  of 
sixty-nine  to  one  had  seceded,  as  had  Tennessee  also;  that  the 
United  States  had  withdrawn  her  troops  from  the  Indian  country; 
that  Arkansas  was  then  in  arms,  and  offering  to  extend  protection 
to  the  Chickasaws. 

On  May  25,  1861,  the  Chickasaw  legislature,  after  reciting 
the  impending  dissolution  of  the  Union,  declared  its  independence, 
and  as  the  government  had  withdrawn  the  Federal  troops,  and 
withheld  unjustly  and  unlawfully  Chickasaw  money,  placed  in 
the  hands  of  the  government  as  trustee,  in  violation  of  existing 
treaties;  and  as  the  Chickasaws,  by  their  geographical  situation, 
their  institutions,  and  sympathies,  were  bound  to  the  people  of 
the  Southern  States,  they  cast  their  fortunes  with  them.  At  the 
same  time  it  was  also  resolved  that  the  Chickasaws  take  pos- 
session of  all  forts  and  arsenals  to  be  held  for  the  Chickasaw 
people,  and  the  other  Indian  nations  and  tribes  were  called  upon 
to  join  the  Chickasaws  in  defending  their  country  from  invasion; 
and  all  the  Chickasaw  people  were  urged 

"to  meet  the  conflict  which  will  surely,  and  perhaps 
speedily,  take  place,  and  hereby  call  upon  every  man  capable 
of  bearing  arms  to  be  ready  to  defend  his  home  and  family, 
his  country,  and  his  property,  and  to  render  prompt  obedience 
to  all  orders  from  the  officers  set  over  them." 

The  State  of  Texas  had  appointed  a  commission,  composed 
of  James  E.  Harrison,  James  Bourland,  and  Charles  A.  Hamilton, 
to  visit  the  Indian  country  and  urge  their  co-operation  with  the 
Southern  people;  and  on  February  27,  1861,  this  commission 
entered  the  Chickasaw  nation,  the  Choctaw,  and  other  tribes, 

405 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

appealing  to  them  to  join  the  South.  In  the  meantime  the  United 
States  authorities  did  practically  nothing  to  retain  the  allegiance 
of  the  Southern  Indians. 

The  Five  Civilized  Tribes  were  then  fast  advancing  in  civili- 
zation, as  shown  by  the  report  of  this  commission  (Miss  Able, 
p.  94)  for  in  respect  thereto  the  commission  said: 

"These  nations  are  in  a  rapid  state  of  improvement.  The 
chase  is  no  longer  resorted  to  as  means  of  subsistence,  only  as  an 
occasional  recreation.  They  are  pursuing  with  good  success 
agriculture  and  stock  raising.  Their  houses  are  well  built  and 
comfortable,  some  of  them  costly.  Their  farms  are  well  planned 
and  some  of  them  extensive  and  all  well  cultivated. 

"They  are  well  supplied  with  schools  of  learning,  extensively 
patronized.  They  have  many  churches  and  a  large  membership 
of  moral,  pious  deportment.  They  feel  themselves  to  be  in  an 
exposed,  embarrassed  condition.  They  are  occupying  a  country 
well  suited  to  them,  well  watered,  and  fertile,  with  extensive 
fields  of  the  very  best  mineral  coal,  fine  salt  springs,  and  wells, 
with  plenty  of  good  timber,  water  powers  which  they  are  using  to 
an  advantage.  Pure  slate,  granite,  sandstone,  blue  limestone, 
and  marble  are  found  in  abundance.  All  this  they  regard  as  in- 
viting Northern  aggression,  and  they  are  without  arms,  to  any 
extent,  or  munitions  of  war." 

Treaty  of  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaws  with  the 
Confederate  States  of  America— 

This  treaty  was  signed  July  12,  186 1,  by  Albert  Pike,  who 
represented  the  Confederate  States,  and  by  commissioners  rep- 
resenting respectively  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  nations. 
Though  after  the  Civil  War  had  ended,  the  Chickasaws  and 
Choctaws  were  dealt  with  harshly  by  the  United  States,  and 
even  threatened  with  a  forfeiture  of  all  their  rights  for  entering 
into  this  treaty,  yet  who  will  now  blame  them  for  what  they  did? 

General  Albert  Pike  was  a  distinguished  lawyer  long  a  resi- 
dent of  Arkansas,  had  been  a  captain  in  the  Mexican  war,  and 
well  known  to  the  Indians,  for  he  had  been  their  counsel  in  most 
important  litigation,  and  at  that  time  was  an  author  of  note, 

406 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

having  written  many  beautiful  poems;  he  was  an  honored  resident 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  for  many  years  before  his  death,  and 
looked  up  to  as  the  head  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  in  the  United 
States;  and  withal  a  man  of  commanding  appearance,  possessing 
that  indefinable  something  which  pleases;  and  as  the  Choctaws 
and  Chickasaws  were  themselves  men  of  the  South,  sharing  with 
the  whites  their  political  views,  especially  those  with  respect  to 
slavery,  as  they  were  likewise  slave  holders — who  can  blame 
them  for  entering  into  this  treaty  with  the  people  among 
whom  they  lived,  and  whose  material  interests  were  the  same  as 
theirs? 

This  is  the  longest  treaty  entered  into  by  these  Indians  up 
to  that  time,  being  quite  voluminous,  the  Confederate  States 
taking  the  Indians  under  their  protection,  and  guaranteeing  not 
to  permit  the  Northern  States  or  any  other  enemy  to  overcome 
them ;  and  likewise  guaranteeing  as  follows :  That  the  country  of 
the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws  was  to  be  held  by  them  in  fee 
simple,  "so  long  as  grass  shall  grow  and  water  run;"  that  no 
state  or  territory  should  ever  pass  laws  for  the  government  of 
the  Indians ;  that  no  part  of  their  country  should  ever  be  annexed 
to  any  other  territory  or  province;  nor  should  any  attempt  be 
made,  except  upon  their  unsolicited  application,  to  erect  their 
country  by  itself  into  a  state  or  territory;  that  they  should 
jointly  be  entitled  to  a  delegate  to  represent  them  in  Congress; 
that  if  they  afterwards  desired  to  form  a  republican  form  of 
government,  and  they  desired  their  country  and  people  to  be 
admitted,  they  should  be  "admitted  into  the  confederacy  as 
one  of  the  Confederate  States,  upon  equal  terms  in  all  respects, 
with  the  original  states,  without  regard  to  population,  etc."  All 
Indians  were  to  be  competent  witnesses,  and  all  intruders  were  to 
be  removed  from  their  country;  and  many  other  guarantees  were 
given,  safeguarding  the  rights  of  the  Indians  in  a  fairer  and 
better  manner  than  in  any  treaty  theretofore. 

It  is  true  that  the  Indians  were  also  guaranteed  the  right 
to  continue  as  slaveholders,  and  that  they  agreed  to  furnish  to  the 

407 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Confederacy  a  regiment  of  ten  companies  of  mounted  men,  which 
they  did,  but  who  would  expect  them  to  have  done  otherwise? 

This  treaty  is  called  the  Pike  Treaty,  and  is  one  of  the 
fairest,  manliest  treaties  that  was  ever  offered  the  Chickasaws; 
and  is  a  credit  to  General  Pike ;  to  whose  memory  the  succeeding 
generation  has  attested  its  affection  by  the  erection  in  the  Capitol 
of  the  nation  a  splendid  bronze  portrait  statue  of  heroic  size. 

James  D.  Richardson,  himself  an  author  and  for  many  years 
a  member  of  Congress,  wrote  this  of  Albert  Pike : 

"It  has  been  well  said  that  Albert  Pike  was  a  king  among 
men  by  the  divine  right  of  merit;  so  majestic  in  appearance  that 
wherever  he  moved  on  highway  or  byway,  every  passerby 
turned  to  gaze  upon  him  and  admire  him.  Six  feet  two  inches 
tall,  with  the  proportions  of  a  Hercules,  and  the  grace  of  an 
Apollo!  A  face  and  head  massive  and  leonine  recalled  in  every 
feature  some  sculptor's  dream  of  a  Grecian  god.  His  long,  wavy 
hair,  flowing  down  over  his  shoulders,  added  a  strikingly  pic- 
turesque effect,  and  the  whole  expression  of  his  countenance 
told  of  power,  combined  with  gentleness,  refinement,  and  benev- 
olence. 

"God  never  made  a  gentler  gentleman,  a  better  citizen,  or 
a  truer  man.  He  climbed  Fame's  glittering  ladder  to  its  loftiest 
height.  He  died  amid  his  books  and  pictures,  his  birds  and 
flowers,  with  a  full  faith  in  a  glorious  immortality.  The  world  is 
his  mausoleum  and  all  mankind  his  mourners." 

The  Desolation  of  the  Civil  War- 
It  would  serve  no  good  purpose  to  here  enter  into  lengthy 
details  as  to  the  part  taken  by  the  Chickasaws  in  this  fratricidal 
conflict  between  the  white  men  of  the  North  and  South,  the  result 
of  which  was  that  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  were  crushed  between 
the  upper  and  nether  millstone. 

Albert  Pike  had,  at  the  request  of  President  Jefferson  Davis, 
undertaken  to  make  treaties  with  the  Indian  tribes,  for  he  prob- 
ably possessed  their  confidence  more  than  any  other  white  man 
and  as  he  was  a  great  linguist  he  doubtless  could  speak  to  them  in 
their  own  tongue.      He  negotiated  these  treaties  under  great 

408 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

difficulties,  and  then  he  was  commissioned  a  brigadier-general 
charged  with  the  duty  of  organizing  an  Indian  army  for  the 
defense  of  their  own  country,  and  not  to  enter  into  campaigns 
beyond  the  limits  of  their  own  country,  and,  of  course,  the 
Confederacy  obligated  itself  to  furnish  the  Indian  army  with 
arms,  ammunition,  clothing,  and  tents,  and  the  men  were  to 
receive  the  customary  pay.  I  may  here  state  that  none  of  these 
promises  were  fulfilled.  Pike  states  that  he  was  then  over  fifty 
years  of  age  and  consented  to  act  for  the  Confederacy  at  the 
urgent  solicitation  of  Mr.  Davis,  with  many  misgivings  as  to 
the  final  result;  and  unfortunately  there  soon  arose  between  him 
and  Generals  Thomas  C.  Hindman  and  Theophilus  Holmes  one 
of  the  bitterest  controversies  that  marked  the  history  of  that 
unhappy  conflict,  culminating  in  a  second  arrest  of  General  Pike 
at  Tishomingo,  in  the  Chickasaw  country,  on  November  14,  1862, 
and  his  resignation  from  the  army. 

However,  soon  after  his  appointment  to  take  charge  of  the 
Indian  country,  Pike  began  a  vigorous  campaign  to  organize 
the  Indians  into  an  army,  first  securing  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  from  the  Confederacy,  clothing,  arms,  ammunition,  and 
those  indispensable  equipments  necessary  for  an  army.  These 
being  secured  he  appealed  to  the  Indians  to  enlist  for  services 
and  found  a  ready  response.  A  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  regiment 
enlisted  at  once,  as  did  other  Indians,  except  that  some  of  the 
Cherokees  and  Creeks  held  back,  considerable  numbers  joining 
the  Federal  forces.  Further  on  there  was  an  entire  brigade  of 
Chickasaws  and  another  of  the  Choctaws  in  the  Confederate 
services,  and  Pike  says: 

"We  had  fifty-five  hundred  Indians  in  service  under  arms, 
and  they  were  as  loyal  as  our  own  people,  little  as  had  been  done 
by  any  one  save  myself  to  keep  them  so,  and  much  as  had  been 
done  by  others  to  alienate  them.  They  referred  all  their  diffi- 
culties to  me  for  decision,  and  looked  to  me  alone  to  see  justice 
done  them  and  the  faith  of  treaties  preserved."  (Abel,  American 
Indians  as  Participants  in  the  Civil  War,  p.  349.) 

409 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  this  connection  it  should  be  remembered  that  many  of 
the  Cherokees  and  Creeks,  besides  nearly  all  the  Indians  from 
the  Western  plains,  enlisted  under  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
and   fought  against  their  brother   Indians. 

Thus  we  see  the  net  result  was  that  the  Indians  who  did  so 
much  to  remain  neutral  in  this  fratricidal  war  of  the  whites  were 
drawn  into  the  bloody  conflict,  and  made  to  destroy  each  other 
for  the  benefit  of  their  white  oppressors. 


The  money,  clothing,  arms,  ammunition,  and  supplies  which 
Pike  had  procured  for  the  Indians  were  from  time  to  time  com- 
mandeered for  the  use  of  the  whites,  and  then  General  Pike  was 
ordered  to  march  his  Indians  from  their  country  to  take  part  in 
raids  to  Kansas  and  Missouri,  and  very  naturally  he  held  back, 
but  finally  did  march  them  into  Arkansas,  where  in  March,  1862, 
there  was  fought  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge  or  Elkhorn  Tavern, 
which  proved  disastrous  to  the  Confederacy. 

Crimination  and  recriminations  between  Pike,  Hindman, 
Holmes,  and  others  were  the  order  of  the  day,  and  after  the 
resignation  of  Pike  he  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  Indians 
giving  his  reasons  for  his  course,  but  urging  them  to  continue 
faithful  to  the  Confederacy,  but  President  Davis  wrote  Pike 
strongly  disapproving  the  issuance  of  the  proclamation.  Never- 
theless the  Indians  again  rallied  to  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy, 
Pike  attributing  it  to  the  effect  his  proclamation  had  upon  them. 

On  December  30,  1862,  Pike  took  up  his  facile  pen  and  wrote 
a  letter  to  General  Holmes,  reviewing  the  controversy,  bitterly 
denouncing  Holmes  and  Hindman,  and  speaking  of  the  effect 
their  course  had  upon  the  Indians  he  said  in  part: 

"The  Federal  authorities  were  proposing  to  the  Indians  at 
the  very  time  when  you  stopped  their  clothing  and  money,  that, 
if  they  would  return  to  the  old  Union,  they  should  not  be  asked 
to  take  up  arms,  their  annuities  should  be  paid  them  in  money, 
the  negroes  taken  from  them  be  restored,  all  losses  and  damage 

410 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

sustained  by  them  be  paid  for,  and  they  be  allowed  to  retain,  as 
so  much  clear  profit,  what  had  been  paid  them  by  the  Confeder- 
ate States.  It  was  a  liberal  offer  and  a  great  temptation  to  come 
at  the  moment  when  you  and  Hindman  were  felicitously  com- 
pleting your  operations,  and  when  there  were  no  breadstuffs  in 
their  country,  and  they  and  their  women  and  children  were 
starving  and  half-naked.  You  chose  an  admirable  opportunity 
to  rob,  to  disappoint,  to  outrage,  and  exasperate  them,  and  make 
your  own  government  fraudulent  and  contemptible  in  their 
eyes.  If  any  human  action  can  deserve  it,  the  hounds  of  hell 
ought  to  hunt  your  soul  and  Hindman's  for  it  through  all  eter- 
nity."   

It  is  but  just  to  Hindman  and  Holmes  to  recall  that  they 
were  far  from  Richmond,  that  the  Confederate  treasury  was 
nearly  always  empty,  that  they  were  charged  with  the  responsi- 
bility of  meeting  the  well  fed,  well  armed  and  equipped  Federal 
forces  in  the  far  West,  while  the  Confederates  had  scarcely  any  of 
these  absolute  necessities  for  actual  warfare;  wherefore  they  felt 
it  their  duty  to  commandeer  everything  in  sight  as  a  necessary 
war  measure.  Hence  they  seized  everything  which  Pike  had  so 
carefully  and  laboriously  gathered  for  the  purpose  of  fulfilling 
his  promises  to  the  Indians  in  order  to  secure  treaties  from  them, 
and  to  enlist  them  under  the  flag  of  the  Confederacy. 

This  Pike  could  never  forgive. 

Probably  no  other  man  could  have  so  won  over  the  Indians 
as  did  Pike.  The  one  absorbing  idea  with  him  was  to  win  the 
Indians  for  the  South,  and  this  being  done  his  soul  revolted  when 
they  were  deprived  of  the  things  necessary  to  defend  their 
country,  and  in  addition  to  leave  it  undefended  and  go  to  Arkansas 
there  to  fight  the  white  man's  war. 


Notwithstanding  their  bad  treatment,  the  Chickasaws  and 
Choctaws  clung  to  the  Confederacy  as  long  as  there  was  the  least 
hope,  though  long  before  the  end  came,  it  was  evident  that  the 
Indian  country  was  practically  lost  to  the  Confederacy.    Thus 

411 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

we  see  that  fidelity  of  character  was  still  a  leading  characteristic  of 
the  Chickasaw  nation. 

Believing  that  further  details  of  this  most  unfortunate 
struggle  would  serve  no  good  purpose,  I  will  pass  from  it,  referring 
those  who  wish  to  look  more  deeply  into  the  matter  to  Miss  Abel's 
American  Indians  as  Participants  in  the  Civil  War. 

The  Treaty  of  1866— 

We  learn  from  Latrobe  (p.  3)  that  when  in  September,  1865, 
the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  met  the  United  States  Com- 
missioners at  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  they  were  told  that  they  were 
at  the  mercy  of  the  government; 

"that  a  portion  of  the  land  hitherto  owned  and  occupied 
by  you  must  be  set  apart  for  the  friendly  tribes  in  Kansas  and 
elsewhere,  on  such  terms  as  may  be  agreed  upon" ; 

and  that  they 

"had  made  themselves  liable  to  a  forfeiture  of  all  their 
rights  of  every  kind,  character,  and  description  which  had  been 
promised  and  guaranteed  to  them  by  the  United  States." 

While  the  Indians  refused  to  sign  the  treaty  demanded, 
Latrobe  says  they  instructed  their  delegates  to 

"yield  all  claims  due  those  nations  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States,  sooner  than  to  be  induced  to  force  or  sacrifice  any 
principle  of  honor  which  is  due  to  the  people  and  posterity  in 
regard  to  the  territory  that  is  so  dear  to  them"; 

and  he  estimates  that  all  the  funds,  annuities,  etc.,  which 
the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  were  prepared  to  sacrifice  rather 
than  be  despoiled  of  the  homes  they  had  been  forced  by  the 
government  to  purchase,  then  aggregated  $3,683,873.32.  This 
sum  represented  every  penny  that  was  left  of  their  sacrifices ;  and 
as  the  personal  property  of  these  Indians  consisted  chiefly  in  the 

412 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

value  of  their  slaves  which  were  freed,  while  the  remainder  of 
their  personal  belongings  had  to  a  great  extent  been  wasted  away 
by  the  fortunes  of  war,  they  were,  so  to  speak,  in  the  dust  and  ashes. 
The  difficulties  surrounding  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws 
were  extraordinary;  but  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
in  the  comparatively  recent  case  of  Jones  vs.  Meehan,  175  U.  S., 
page  1,  has  so  well  pointed  out  the  helplessness  of  the  Indians 
in  ordinary  cases  that  I  will  quote  one  sentence  from  the  opinion : 

"In  construing  any  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  an 
Indian  tribe,  it  must  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  negotiations 
for  the  treaty  are  conducted  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  an 
enlightened  and  powerful  nation,  by  representatives  skilled  in 
diplomacy,  masters  of  a  written  language,  understanding  the 
modes  and  forms  of  creating  the  various  technical  estates  known 
to  their  law,  and  assisted  by  an  interpreter  employed  by  them- 
selves; that  the  treaty  is  drawn  up  by  them  and  in  their  own 
language;  that  the  Indians,  on  the  other  hand,  are  a  weak  and 
dependent  people,  who  have  no  written  language,  and  are  wholly 
unfamiliar  with  all  the  forms  of  legal  expressions;  and  whose  only 
knowledge  of  the  terms  in  which  the  treaty  is  formed  is  that  im- 
parted to  them  by  the  interpreter  employed  by  the  United  States, 
and  that  the  treaty  must  then  be  construed,  not  according  to  the 
technical  meaning  of  the  words  to  learned  lawyers,  but  in  the  sense 
in  which  they  would  naturally  be  understood  by  the  Indians." 

Being  thus  threatened  by  the  United  States,  what  could  the 
Indians  do  except  to  employ  counsel,  associated  with  others,  to 
contend  for  at  least  a  modicum  of  justice.  The  "justice"  thus 
secured  proved  very  costly  to  the  Indians,  who  were  mulcted  by 
their  attorney  and  his  assistants,  according  to  Cantwell  (p.  9), 
in  the  sum  of  $750,000;  for  which  they  secured  the  treaty  of 
April  26,  1866;  under  which  slavery  was  abolished;  and  as  the 
third  article  has  given  rise  to  much  controversy,  as  well  as  litiga- 
tion in  the  courts,  it  will  here  be  copied  at  large: 

"Art.  III.  The  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws,  in  consideration 
of  the  sum  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  hereby  cede  to  the 

413 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

United  States  the  territory  west  of  the  980  west  longitude, 
known  as  the  leased  district,  provided  that  the  said  sum  shall  be 
invested  and  held  by  the  United  States,  at  an  interest  of  not  less 
than  five  per  cent,  in  trust  for  the  said  nations,  until  the  legis- 
latures of  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  nations  respectively  shall 
have  made  such  laws,  rules,  and  regulations  as  may  be  necessary 
to  give  all  persons  of  African  descent,  resident  in  the  said  nations 
at  the  date  of  the  Treaty  of  Fort  Smith,  and  their  descendants, 
heretofore  held  in  slavery  among  said  nations,  all  the  rights, 
privileges,  and  immunities,  including  the  right  of  suffrage,  of 
citizens  of  said  nations,  except  in  the  annuities,  monies,  and  pub- 
lic domain  claimed  by  or  belonging  to  said  nations  respectively; 
and  also  to  give  to  such  persons  who  were  residents  as  aforesaid 
and  their  descendants  forty  acres  each  of  the  land  of  said  nations 
on  the  same  terms  as  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws,  to  be  selected 
on  the  survey  of  said  land,  after  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws 
and  Kansas  Indians  have  made  their  selections  as  herein  pro- 
vided; and  immediately  on  the  enactment  of  such  laws,  rules, 
and  regulations,  the  said  sum  of  $300,000  shall  be  paid  to  the 
said  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  nations  in  the  proportion  of  three- 
fourths  to  the  former  and  one-fourth  to  the  latter,  less  such  sum, 
at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  dollars  per  capita,  as  shall  be  sufficient 
to  pay  such  persons  of  African  descent  before  referred  to  as, 
within  ninety  days  after  the  passage  of  such  laws,  rules,  and 
regulations,  shall  elect  to  remove  and  actually  remove  from  the 
said  nations  respectively.  And  should  the  said  laws,  rules,  and 
regulations  not  be  made  by  the  legislature  of  the  said  nations 
respectively,  within  two  years  from  the  ratification  of  this  treaty, 
then  the  said  sum  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  shall  cease 
to  be  held  in  trust  for  the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  nations,  and 
be  held  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  such  of  said  persons  of  African 
descent  as  the  United  States  shall  remove  from  the  said  territory 
in  such  manner  as  the  United  States  shall  deem  proper,  the 
United  States  agreeing,  within  ninety  days  from  the  expiration 
of  the  said  two  years,  to  remove  from  said  nations  all  such 
persons  of  African  descent  as  may  be  willing  to  remove ;  those 
remaining  or  returning  after  having  been  removed  from  said 
nations  to  have  no  benefit  of  said  sum  of  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  or  any  part  thereof,  but  shall  be  upon  the 
same  footing  as  other  citizens  of  the  United  States  in  the  said 
nations." 


414 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Among  many  other  provisions  of  the  treaty  it  was  also 
provided  that  a  council  consisting  of  delegates  from  both  tribes 
was  to  convene  annually,  the  powers  and  duties  of  which  were 
defined,  but  the  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  was  to  be  the 
executive  of  the  territory,  with  the  title  of  "Governor  of  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Oklahoma";  by  the  tenth  article  the  prior  treaty 
obligations  of  the  United  States  were  reaffirmed  and  the  payment 
of  annuities  renewed;  all  the  lands  which  had  theretofore  been 
held  in  common  were  to  be  surveyed,  and  allotments  to  be  made 
in  severalty  to  each  member  of  the  tribes;  and,  of  course,  all  in- 
truders were  to  be  kept  out  of  the  Indian  country,  which  the 
government  never  had  done,  and  which  now  it  did  not  intend  to 
do,  nor  did  it  do. 

In  reference  to  these  last  provisions,  it  is  only  necessary  to 
note  that  out  of  the  country  of  the  Indians  the  Territory  of 
Oklahoma  was  created,  and  a  white  man  made  its  chief  exec- 
utive, a  prophecy  that  soon  the  Indians  were  to  be  despoiled  of 
their  country. 

The  Long  Struggle  for  Racial  Purity— 

On  August  16,  1867,  the  Chickasaw  nation  adopted  a  con- 
stitution which  will  compare  favorably  with  any  of  those  of 
the  various  States,  the  opening  sentence  being  in  these  words: 

"We,  the  people  of  the  Chickasaw  nation,  acknowledging 
with  gratitude  the  grace  and  beneficence  of  God  in  permitting  us 
to  make  choice  of  our  form  of  government,  do,  in  accordance 
with  the  first,  second,  fourth,  and  seventh  articles  of  the  treaty 
between  the  United  States,  the  Choctaws,  and  Chickasaws,  made 
and  concluded  at  Washington  City,  June  22,  A.  D.  1855,  and  the 
treaty  of  April  28,  A.  D.  1866,  ordain  and  establish  this  constitu- 
tion for  our  government,  within  the  following  limits,  to  wit:" 

Returning  now  to  Article  III  of  the  treaty  of  1866  quoted 
above  it  will  be  seen  that  the  United  States  held  in  trust  $300,000 
belonging  to  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  and  that  section 
directed  that  in  case  the  Indians  did  not  within  two  years  admit 

415 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

their  former  slaves  as  members  of  their  tribes,  then  within  ninety 
days  the  United  States  bound  itself  to  remove  the  freedmen 
from  the  Indian  country,  and  give  to  them  the  $300,000  which  in 
point  of  fact  belonged  to  the  Indians. 

In  a  report  of  January  3,  1907,  of  F.  E.  Leupp,  Commissioner 
of  Indian  Affairs,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  it  is  said: 

"The  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  nations  have  been  far  more 
generous  to  their  former  slaves  and  their  descendants  than  the 
white  people  have  to  their  ex-slaves.  They  have  allowed  them 
an  interest  in  their  lands,  which  the  white  slave  owner  did  not 
do,  and  have  permitted  them  to  use  the  lands  of  the  nation  for 
more  than  forty  years  without  paying  one  cent  of  rent  therefor:" 
(Mansfield,  McMurry  &  Cornish,  p.  9.) 

Why  should  the  government,  in  the  face  of  these  undisputed 
facts,  continue  its  efforts  through  a  series  of  years  to  force  the 
Indians  to  do  still  more  for  their  former  slaves  than  the  whites 
had,  and  force  upon  them  a  species  of  social  equality  with  the 
negro,  except  upon  the  assumption  that  an  Indian  had  no  rights 
which  a  white  man  was  bound  to  respect? 

In  1866,  again  in  1876,  and  still  again  in  1885,  the  Chicka- 
saws  refused  to  admit  their  former  slaves  as  members  of  their 
tribe,  a  portion  of  the  preamble  and  Section  1  of  the  act  of 
October  22,  1885  (Cantwell,  p.  87),  being  as  follows : 

"And  whereas,  The  United  States  has  failed  to  remove  said 
freedmen,  agreeable  to  the  stipulations  of  said  treaty,  and  left 
them  here  among  us  for  a  long  time,  recognized  by  us  as  occupy- 
ing the  same  status  as  other  United  States  citizens;  and  whereas, 
the  Chickasaw  people  in  justic  to  their  posterity  have  not  made 
said  laws,  rules,  and  regulations  as  provided  for  in  the  aforesaid 
article  of  said  treaty  for  the  following  reasons,   to-wit: 

"ist — That  the  Chickasaw  people  can  not  see  any  reason  or 
just  cause  why  they  should  be  required  to  do  more  for  their 
freed  slaves  than  the  white  people  have  done  in  the  slave-holding 
States  for  theirs. 

416 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

11 2nd — That  it  was  by  the  example  and  teaching  of  the 
white  man  that  we  purchased,  at  enormous  prices,  their  slaves 
and  used  their  labor,  and  were  forced  by  the  result  of  their  war  to 
liberate  our  slaves  at  a  great  loss  and  sacrifice  on  our  part,  and 
we  do  not  hold  or  consider  our  nation  responsible  in  nowise  for 
their  present  situation. 

"Section  i.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  legislature  of  the  Chicka- 
saw nation,  That  the  Chickasaw  people  hereby  refuse  to  accept 
or  adopt  the  freedmen  as  citizens  of  the  Chickasaw  nation  upon 
any  terms  or  conditions  whatever,  and  respectfully  request  the 
governor  of  our  nation  to  notify  the  Department  at  Washington 
of  the  action  of  the  legislature  in  the  premises." 

This  was  the  manly  attitude  of  the  Chickasaws,  notwith- 
standing (Cantwell,  p.  50)  states  other  Indians  admitted  negroes 
as  members  of  their  tribes. 

All  honor  to  the  Chickasaws  for  taking  this  bold  stand  for 
racial  purity;  for  thereby  they  proved  themselves  worthy  descen- 
dants of  the  primitive  Chickasaws,  who  were  known  personally 
to  Judge  John  Haywood,  the  pioneer  historian  of  Tennessee, 
himself  a  pioneer,  and  who  declared  that  no  Chickasaw  woman 
was  ever  known  to  give  birth  to  a  child  before  wedlock. 

The  former  slaves  of  the  Chickasaws,  no  doubt  being  in- 
stigated thereto  by  scheming  lobbyists  and  lawyers  so-called, 
sued  to  recover  the  $300,000  mentioned,  but  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court  in  1904  dismissed  the  case,  saying  that  as  the 
freedmen  had  remained  in  the  nation,  cultivating  as  much  land 
as  was  necessary  for  the  support  of  themselves  and  their  families, 
and  had  not  been  adopted  into  the  Chickasaw  nation,  they 
were  not  entitled  to  the  fund.  (See  United  States  vs.  Choctaw  and 
Chickasaw  Nation,  193  U.  S.  115.) 

It  would  seem  that  this  decision  should  have  ended  the 
struggle,  but  the  rapacity  of  claim  agents  knows  no  law,  and  they 
then  took  their  fight  to  the  floors  of  Congress,  where  the  con- 
troversy continued  for  some  years. 

I  am  indebted  to  William  L.  Lawrence  of  Tishomingo, 
Oklahoma,  for  much  information,  including  a  copy  of  the  Argu- 

417 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ment  in  1 910  of  Douglass  H.  Johnston  on  behalf  of  the  Chicka- 
saws  against  the  reopening  of  the  Chickasaw  rolls,  so  as  to 
admit  their  former  slaves  to  membership  as  Chickasaw  Indians; 
and  in  closing  his  argument  (p.  24)  Governor  Johnston  said : 

"Again,  the  African  race  is  prolific.  The  Indian  race,  under 
present  conditions,  is  not.  The  numbers  of  the  Chickasaw  tribe 
have  been  decimated,  at  first  by  destructive  wars,  now  by  their 
changed  conditions  of  life,  and  it  will  be  but  a  few  generations 
until  the  full-blood  Indian  will  be  no  more.  But  as  the  Indian 
citizen  vanishes,  the  negro  'Chickasaw,'  if  such  he  is  made  by 
Congress,  will  multiply,  and  the  time  will  not  be  far  distant,  if  this 
iniquity  is  visited  upon  us,  when  the  name  of  Chickasaw  will 
carry  with  it  opprobrium  and  reproach  instead  of  honor. 

"Our  people  have  no  prejudice  against  the  negro  as  such, 
and  have  always  treated  him,  freedman  as  well  as  slave,  with 
kindness  and  forbearance;  but  we  do  object  to  his  classification 
as  a  member  of  our  tribe,  and  the  white  race,  under  similar 
conditions,  would  have  the  same  feeling. 

"Our  common  property  now  amounts  to  lands  and  money 
worth  approximately  $25,000,000.  Such  unjust  legislation  will 
deprive  us  of  the  greater  part  of  this  heritage;  but  this  is  not  all, 
for  it  will  also  rob  us  of  something  far  dearer,  namely,  the  pride 
of  race,  which  our  people  have  so  long  cherished. 

"These  negroes  are  not  clamoring  for  this  recognition  of 
their  own  accord,  nor  would  this  class  of  claims  ever  have  been 
heard  of  had  it  not  been  for  the  activities  of  claim  agents  and 
attorneys,  lured  on  by  the  rich  prize  to  be  gained  by  success. 

"If  then  the  greedy  hand  of  the  despoilers  can  not  be  kept 
from  us,  far  better  to  give  them  our  lands  and  money,  but  keep 
our  rolls  pure,  so  that  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  a  Chickasaw 
can  hold  his  head  aloft  among  any  people  of  the  earth  and  say 
'I  am  an  original  American  and  a  Chickasaw.' 
"Douglass  H.  Johnston, 
"Governor  of  the  Chickasaw  Nation." 

In  the  speech  of  Honorable  William  H.  Murray  already 
referred  to,  he  paid  the  highest  tribute  to  Governor  Johnston 
for  his  fine  sense  and  integrity  of  character,  also  saying  that  he 
was  related  to  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  who  fell  upon  the 

418 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

field  of  battle  at  Shiloh,  and  whose  loss  was  a  terrific  blow  to  the 
hopes  of  the  soldiers  of  the  South.  Murray  also  stated  that  at  that 
time  (1914)  Johnston  had  been  Governor  of  the  Chickasaws 
for  fourteen  years,  and  as  he  is  still  in  office  at  this  time  (1921), 
it  will  be  seen  that  for  over  twenty  years  he  has  guided  the 
destinies  of  his  people,  and  it  may  be  added  under  the  most 
disadvantageous  circumstances. 

In  a  letter  to  me  of  January  21,  1921,  Cato  Sells  says: 

'The  freedmen  were  adopted  in  most  of  the  Five  Civilized 
Tribes,  namely,  Cherokee,  Creek,  Seminole,  and  Choctaw  Tribes, 
but  the  Chickasaws  persistently  refused  to  adopt  them  as  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe.  For  the  reason  that  the  other  Five  Civilized 
Tribes  adopted  them  as  members  of  their  tribes,  it  is  customary 
in  computing  the  number  of  Chickasaw  enrollers  to  include  the 
number  of  freedmen  enrollers  in  totaling  the  membership  of  the 
Five  Civilized  Tribes." 

What  a  tribute  is  this  to  the  Chickasaws,  marking  them  as 
a  peculiar  people,  to  withstand  all  the  power  and  blandishments 
of  the  government,  as  well  as  the  example  of  the  more  powerful 
tribes  so  closely  associated  with  them,  in  preserving  the  purity 
of  the  blood  which  coursed  through  the  veins  of  their  noble 
ancestry ! 

Notwithstanding  these  plain  facts  with  respect  to  the  long 
struggle  of  the  Chickasaws  for  racial  purity  and  integrity,  all  of 
which  can  be  so  easily  verified,  still  in  standard  encyclopaedias 
and  reference  books  it  is  usually  stated  that  the  Chickasaws 
adopted  their  freedmen  in  1873,  which  is  but  one  instance  of 
misinformation  so  often  to  be  met  with,  not  only  in  the  daily 
press,  but  in  standard  works  and  in  books  of  history. 

Constitution  and  Laws  of  the  Chickasaws— 

In  this  story,  as  we  are  approaching  the  time  when  the 
United  States  repudiated  all  of  its  solemn  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  and  in  order  that  we  may  have  a  clear  understanding  of 

419 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  facts,  we  may  here  pause  for  a  moment  to  note  that  in  1899 
there  was  published  by  the  Chickasaw  nation  a  volume  of  560 
pages,  containing  their  constitution  and  laws  up  to  that  time. 

The  contents  of  the  volume  were  certified  by  Honorable 
Charles  D.  Carter,  National  Secretary  of  the  Chickasaw  nation, 
and  it  may  be  added  that  the  laws  therein  contained,  organic  as 
well  as  statutory,  will  compare  favorably  with  those  of  any  state 
of  the  Union. 

It  may  be  further  stated  that  Mr.  Carter  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress as  a  member  from  Oklahoma  upon  its  admission  to  the 
Union  in  1907,  and  so  continues  to  the  present  time  (192 1), 
having  recently  been  elected  for  a  new  term  expiring  in  1923. 

He  has  served  with  distinction  as  a  representative  Chickasaw 
and  as  the  representative  of  white  constituents  as  well,  and 
while  the  House  was  controlled  by  the  Democrats,  he  was  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs. 

The  Dawes  Agreement — 

Having  reached  a  period  when  the  Indians  were  reduced 
to  the  last  extremity  and  were  at  the  complete  mercy  of  the 
whites,  outside  interference  became  so  frequent  and  vital  that  it 
is  scarcely  necessary  for  further  details,  but  a  brief  reference 
will  be  made  to  what  is  called  the  Dawes  agreement  of  March  21, 
1902.  That  is  of  such  recent  date  that  many  will  recall  notices 
of  the  proceedings  as  contained  in  the  newspapers;  and  though 
I  had  no  special  interest  in  the  matter  or  reason  to  take  a  preju- 
dicial view,  still  a  strong  impression  was  made  on  my  mind 
that  it  was  more  in  the  nature  of  a  brow-beating  affair  than 
otherwise;  by  which  the  Indians  were  forced  against  their  wills 
to  grant  what  the  white  man  demanded. 

The  so-called  agreement  is  very  elaborate,  and  among  other 
things  provided  that  there  shall  be  allotted  to  each  member  of 
the  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  tribes  320  acres,  and  to  each  freed- 
man  forty  acres,  the  allotments  to  include  the  improvements  of 
the  allottee.     All  the  residue  of  their  lands  was  to  be  sold  at 

420 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

public  auction,  the  net  balance  to  be  paid  into  the  treasury  of 
the  United  States,  to  the  credit  of  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws, 
the  distribution  to  be  made  of  the  proceeds  to  the  Indians  per 
capita,  the  whites  well  knowing  that  the  Indians  would  soon 
spend  the  money,  as  they  would  fall  easy  victims  to  the  designing 
whites,  and,  of  course,  these  results  followed,  so  that  the  Indians 
were  thus  despoiled  of  their  landed  estates  to  the  enrichment  of 
the  whites. 

This  was  bad  enough,  but  there  was  a  worse  feature  of  the 
socalled  agreement;  that  is  to  say,  it  was  made  unlawful  for  an 
Indian  to 

"enclose  or  hold  possession  in  any  manner  by  himself  or 
through  another,  directly  or  indirectly,  more  land  in  value  than 
that  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  average  allottable 
lands"; 

a  violation  of  this  so-called  agreement  was  made  a  mis- 
demeanor punishable  by  fine  and  imprisonment. 

These  inhuman,  cold,  and  cruel  provisions  are  so  shocking 
as  not  to  need  comment. 

Coal,  asphalt,  and  other  minerals  which  might  be  found  in 
the  land  were  to  be  sold  at  public  auction,  and  the  net  proceeds 
placed  to  the  credit  of  the  Indians  in  the  United  States  Treasury. 

How  Congress  Set  Aside  All  Indian  Treaties— 

For  a  better  understanding  of  the  situation  it  is  necessary 
to  recur  to  some  former  proceedings. 

On  May  7,  1894,  the  Dawes  Commission  made  its  report  to 
Congress,  and  among  other  things  (174,  U.  S.,  p.  448)  it  said: 

"This  section  of  country  was  set  apart  to  the  Indian  com- 
munity beyond  and  away  from  the  influence  of  white  people. 
We  stipulated  that  they  should  have  unrestricted  self-govern- 
ment and  full  jurisdiction  over  persons  and  property  within 
their  respective  limits,  and  that  we  would  protect  them  against 

421 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

intrusion  of  white  people,  and  that  we  would  not  incorporate 
them  in  a  political  organization  without  their  consent.  Every 
treaty,  from  1828  to  and  including  the  treaty  of  1866,  was  based 
on  this  idea  of  exclusion  of  the  Indians  from  the  whites  and  non- 
participation  by  the  whites  in  their  political  and  industrial 
affairs.  We  made  it  possible  for  the  Indians  of  that  section  of 
country  to  maintain  their  tribal  relations  and  their  Indian 
polity,  laws,  and  civilization  if  they  wished  so  to  do.  And,  if 
now  the  isolation  and  exclusiveness  sought  to  be  given  to  them 
by  our  solemn  treaties  is  destroyed,  and  they  are  overrun  by  a 
population  of  strangers  five  times  in  number  to  their  own,  it  is 
not  the  fault  of  the  government  of  the  United  States,  but  comes 
from  their  own  acts  in  admitting  whites  to  citizenship  under 
their  laws  and  by  inviting  white  people  to  come  within  their 
jurisdiction  to  become  traders,  farmers,  and  to  follow  professional 
pursuits." 

I  undertake  to  say  that  the  statements  above  to  the  effect 
that  the  Indians  invited  the  white  intruders  into  their  country 
and  were  responsible  for  their  presence  among  the  Indians  is 
not  only  untrue  but  without  excuse.  No  one  with  the  least  in- 
telligence can  attentively  read  the  Indians'  treaties  without 
being  struck  with  their  long  struggle  to  live  apart  from  the 
whites,  as  witness  the  clauses  in  the  various  treaties  by  which 
the  government  bound  itself  in  the  most  solemn  manner  to  ex- 
clude all  white  intruders  from  among  them. 

Francis  E.  Leupp,  under  whose  administration  as  Indian 
Commissioner  the  policies  represented  by  the  Dawes  Commis- 
sion were  put  in  force,  and  which  he  approved,  though  apparently 
sometimes  with  misgivings,  speaks  very  plainly  (p.  44)  on  this 
subject,  saying: 

"In  actual  life  and  in  his  natural  state,  however,  the  Indian 
wants  nothing  to  do  with  us  or  our  civilization;  he  clings  to  the 
ways  of  his  ancestors,  insisting  that  they  are  better  than  ours; 
and  he  resents  the  government's  efforts  to  show  him  how  he  can 
turn  an  honest  dollar  for  himself  by  other  means  than  his  grand- 
fathers used — or  an  appropriation   from   the  Treasury.      That 

422 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

is  the  plain  English  of  the  case,  strive  as  we  may  to  gloss  it  with 
poetic  fancies  or  hide  it  under  statistical  reports  of  progress." 

On  the  previous  page  (p.  43)  Mr.  Leupp  says: 

'The  truth  is  that,  in  spite  of  the  analogy  traceable  between 
the  customs  of  all  races  in  their  primitive  state,  the  Indian  has 
a  distinct  individuality;  and  nothing  shows  it  more  convincingly 
than  the  way  he  has  survived  his  experiences  as  a  victim  of 
conquest." 

No  one  who  has  attentively  considered  this  subject  can  for 
one  moment  doubt  the  correctness  of  what  Mr.  Leupp  says  with 
respect  to  the  peculiar  ethnographic  characteristics  of  the  North 
American  Indians.  In  other  words,  our  Indians  have  no  counter- 
part on  this  globe,  and  their  mental  and  moral  characteristics  are 
as  fixed  and  immovable  as  are  to  be  found  among  any  of  the  vari- 
ous races  of  men. 

We  have  the  decision  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  so 
late  as  1886  (119  U.  S.  30,  L.  ed.,  p.  315)  showing  the  utter  help- 
lessness of  the  Indians  to  protect  themselves,  as  follows: 

'These  Indian  tribes  are  the  wards  of  the  nation;  they  are 
communities  dependent  on  the  United  States;  dependent  largely 
for  their  daily  food;  dependent  for  their  political  rights.  They 
owe  no  allegiance  to  the  States  and  receive  from  them  no  pro- 
tection; because  of  the  local  ill  feeling,  the  people  of  the  States 
where  they  are  found  are  often  their  deadliest  enemies.  From 
their  very  weakness  and  helplessness,  so  largely  due  to  the  course 
of  dealing  of  the  federal  government  with  them,  and  the  treaties 
in  which  it  has  been  promised,  there  arises  the  duty  of  protection, 
and  with  it  the  power.  This  has  always  been  recognized  by  the 
executive,  by  congress,  and  by  this  court,  whenever  the  question 
has  arisen." 

No  one  knew  the  helplessness  of  the  Indians  to  protect  them- 
selves from  white  intruders  for  the  reasons  set  forth  above, 
better  than  the  members  of  the  Dawes  committee;  that  is,  if 
they  had  the  least  intelligence,  which  they  unquestionably  had. 

423 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  how  the  truth  could  have  been  more 
distorted. 

Note,  also,  that  the  Supreme  Court  pointedly  declared  that 
from  the  very  helplessness  of  the  Indians  (to  quote), 

u  There  arises  the  duty  of  protection,  and  with  it  the  power.  This 
has  always  been  recognized  by  the  executive,  by  Congress,  and 
by  this  court  whenever  the  question  has  arisen." 

And  yet  the  Dawes  Commission  reports  to  Congress  that 
it  was  the  fault  of  the  Indians  that  the  white  intruders  had 
come  among  them,  and  these  statements  were  apparently  ac- 
cepted by  all  departments  of  the  government  as  true. 

The  truth  is  that  when  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  were  driven 
from  their  ancient  homes  east  of  the  Mississippi  to  make  room 
for  the  early  settlers,  the  country  selected  for  them,  and  called 
the  Indian  Territory,  was  thought  to  be  a  wild  and  barren  coun- 
try and  was  then  subject  to  the  inroads  of  the  wild  roving  bands  of 
the  plain  Indians,  making  life  there  insecure.  After  these  savages 
were  conquered  and  the  country  made  secure  and  habitable  by 
the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  not  only  the  great  agricultural  possibili- 
ties of  the  country  became  a  striking  fact,  but,  in  addition,  vast 
deposits  of  coal,  oil,  and  gas  were  discovered.  Then  it  was  that, 
whetted  by  cupidity,  the  whites  became  as  hungry  wolves,  seek- 
ing all  they  could  devour,  and  intruders  overran  the  Indian 
country,  while  the  United  States,  which  acknowledged  the  help- 
lessness of  the  Indians,  and  its  duty  by  treaty  and  morally 
to  exclude  the  intruders,  with  the  power  so  to  do,  quietly  looked 
on  and  did  nothing.    Hence  the  Dawes  Commission. 

If  history  teaches  anything,  it  is  that  no  law  can  break 
down  racial  characteristics  and  convert  one  race  into  another; 
nor  can  this  be  accomplished  by  centuries  of  oppression,  or  by 
philanthropic  propaganda. 

Take  the  case  of  the  East  Indian,  whose  civilization  reaches 
back  far  beyond  the  civilization  of  the  Englishman ;  and  though 

424 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  civilization  of  the  English  is  far  superior  to  that  of  the  East 
Indian,  and  though  for  generations  the  East  Indian  has  been 
under  the  guardianship  of  the  English,  still  all  know  that  socially 
and  racially  there  is  an  impassable  gulf  separating  the  two 
peoples,  notwithstanding  both  belong  to  the  great  Aryan  race. 

The  narrow  Irish  sea  only  separates  England  from  Ireland, 
but  will  the  racial  barrier  between  them  ever  be  broken?  Again, 
only  an  imaginary  line  separates  the  Irishmen  of  Ulster  from 
Irishmen  further  south,  and  still  they  can  no  more  mix  than  oil 
will  mix  with  water. 

These  are  not  exceptional  cases  in  history,  as  witness  the 
results  of  the  Russian  war  with  Turkey  in  the  seventies;  for  as 
soon  as  the  Turkish  power  was  broken  over  a  large  part  of  her 
domain  in  Europe,  there  reappeared  the  nations  of  Bulgaria, 
Roumania,  and  Serbia,  these  peoples  having  been  so  long  sub- 
merged by  the  Turks  and  kept  in  a  state  of  vassalage,  that  they 
had  almost  been  forgotten  by  the  world;  and  yet  centuries  of 
vassalage  had  in  no  way  changed  the  ethnic  characteristics  of 
these  peoples. 

Or  take  the  case  of  the  two  German  empires,  the  one  ruled 
by  the  Hohenzollerns,  and  the  other  by  the  Hapsburgs;  and  these 
respectively  ruled  over  and  had  in  subjection  other  races  of  men, 
bending  every  energy  and  form  of  force  to  Germanize  them,  and 
all  to  no  purpose.  As  soon  as  freedom  came  as  a  result  of  the  mad 
war  inaugurated  by  the  two  German  emperors,  by  which  they 
were  dethroned,  there  emerged  from  the  wreck  and  ruin  of  the 
bloodiest  war  in  the  annals  of  the  world,  the  submerged  peoples, 
and  geography  has  been  re-written  so  as  to  number  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth  ancient  Poland,  Czecho-Slovakia,  Jugo- 
slavia, or  the  kingdom  of  the  Southern  Slavs,  while  Armenia, 
and  other  submerged  peoples  in  Asia,  are  still  struggling  for 
racial    independence. 

Again  Leupp  very  correctly  points  out  (p.  3)  that  in  discuss- 
ing the  Indians  we  should  always  bear  in  mind  that  there  is  as 

425 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

wide  a  diversity  between  different  groups  as  we  find  among 
Caucasians.  The  Hopi  Indians,  leading  a  precarious  existence  on 
the  desert  plains  of  the  far  West,  are  no  more  to  be  compared  to 
the  splendid  specimens  of  manhood  and  womanhood  among  the 
members  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  when  first  seen  by  Euro- 
peans, than  the  fine  manhood  in  England  could  be  compared  at 
that  time  to  the  half  wild  and  unlettered  men  who  occupied  the 
Caucasian  mountains,  or  the  degraded  and  down-trodden  serfs 
of  the  Russian  steppes.  And  yet  it  is  not  unusual  to  class  all 
Indians  alike. 

Attention  is  called  by  Murray  (p.  40)  to  this  important  fact, 
in  his  address  before  Congress  already  mentioned,  when  he  said: 

"Before  going  into  the  subject,  however,  I  want  to  take  the 
liberty  of  calling  the  attention  of  Congress  to  the  difference 
between  Indian  tribes  as  being  quite  as  great  as  between  other 
races.  The  Five  Civilized  Tribes  of  Oklahoma  are  quite  distinct 
from  the  prairie  tribes  on  the  west  side  of  the  State  or  in  other 
sections  of  the  country,  who  wear  blankets  and  who  are  the 
subject  of  hero  stories  of  the  wild  West  of  which  you  read  Three 
of  these  tribes  were  never  savages — the  Chickasaws,  the  Choc- 
taws,  and  the  Cherokees.  There  is  only  one  other  civilized 
tribe,  and  that  is  the  Pueblo,  and  possibly  the  Navajo.  The 
Five  Civilized  Tribes  and  the  Pueblo  Tribe  are  the  only  Indian 
tribes  that  hold  their  land  in  fee  simple.  The  Pueblos  of  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico  were  given  a  grant  by  Spain,  ratified  later  by 
Mexico,  and  then  by  the  United  States.  The  Five  Civilized 
Tribes  have  held  their  land  in  fee  simple  since  long  prior  to  the 
Civil  War.  They  have  had  civil  government  fully  officered  with 
chief  executives,  legislatures,  courts,  and  public  schools,  operated 
by  themselves,  controlled  without  any  supervision  of  the  govern- 
ment or  of  Congress,  ran  ad  libitum  by  themselves. 

"Their  courts,  while  crude  in  a  measure,  gave  manifest 
justice.  I  hold  in  my  hand  a  printed  copy  of  the  Chickasaw 
statutes,  enacted  by  their  legislature,  and  enforced  in  their  courts." 

Leupp  also  points  out  that  the  Indian  is  not  haughty  or 
taciturn  with  those  he  knows  and  respects ;  that  he  is  a  congenial 

426 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

companion,  a  lively  story  teller,  and  himself  full  of  humor;  that 
he  has  an  oriental  code  of  ethics  which  holds  hospitality  so 
sacred  that  you  are  absolutely  safe  as  his  guest  while  under  his 
roof;  and  Leupp  joins  with  Dr.  William  T.  Harris,  United  States 
Commissioner  of  Education,  in  declaring  that  if  you  remove  the 
alluring  gloss  which  the  poetic  genius  of  Homer  has  spread  over 
the  conduct  of  the  warriors  who  fought  at  Troy,  then  you  have 
in  the  American  Indian  a  type  of  those  ancient  classic  Greek 
heroes,  wherefore  Dr.  Harris  called  them  "Homeric  Chil- 
dren." 

Instead  of  being  always  quarrelsome  Leupp  declares  (p.  7) 

"there  is  not  a  white  community  whose  members  will  go 
further  out  of  their  way  to  avoid  hard  feelings  with  their  neigh- 
bors than  the  member  of  an  Indian  tribe  or  band." 

When  factional  differences  arose,  they  were  often  settled  by 
conferences;  if  not,  there  was  that  private  vengeance  such  as  is 
usually  found  among  primitive  people,  and  when  war  was  declared, 
the  maxim  "All  is  fair  in  war"  was  the  watchword;  but  was  this 
not  the  watchword  in  the  late  world-wide  war  which  staggered 
mankind  by  its  atrocities? 

Leupp  also  states  (p.  11)  upon  the  testimony  of  experienced 
Indian  traders  that  Indians  were  more  honest  in  paying  their 
debts  than  white  men,  and  we  all  know  that  food  was  always 
considered  common  property  with  the  Indians  and  the  hungry 
were  free  to  eat,  though  it  was  the  last  morsel  of  the  pos- 
sessor. 

W7e  learn  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  that  the  love  of  money  is 
the  root  of  all  evil,  not  a  mere  part,  but  of  all  evil.  While  the 
love  of  money  is  the  besetting  sin  of  the  white  man,  of  this  deep 
dyed  sin  the  Indian  is  guiltless.  There  is  nothing  of  the  mercen- 
ary in  his  character.  When  in  Alaska  in  1906  I  was  struck  with 
the  universal  testimony  to  the  fact  that  no  Indian  was  ever 
known  to  prospect  for  gold  or  other  precious  metals;  but  if 
hungry,  he  would  work  for  the  miner  to  obtain  food. 

427 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Leupp  also  points  out  (p.  13)  that  contrary  to  the  common 
belief  the  labors  necessary  for  the  subsistence  of  the  family  were 
well  divided  between  husband  and  wife. 

Leupp  says  (p.  18): 

"In  all  my  wanderings  among  the  Indians  I  have  never  seen 
a  parent  strike  a  child,  and  have  very  rarely  heard  an  impatient 
exclamation  from  either  side." 

Might  not  the  white  man  learn  a  lesson  from  the  Indian  in 
the  loving  care  of  his  offspring? 

On  pages  12  and  13  Mr.  Leupp  adds: 

"Because  he  does  not  open  his  heart  to  a  stranger  or  fly  into 
a  passion  under  abuse,  we  hear  that  the  Indian  is  without  feeling. 
On  the  contrary,  he  is  one  of  the  most  sensitive  of  human  beings. 
Stolid  as  a  stone  under  his  enemy's  tortures,  he  may  be  broken  in 
spirit  by  the  death  of  a  child.  He  feels  keenly  any  slight  put 
upon  him,  and,  though  he  may  not  retort  in  kind,  a  harsh  or 
contemptuous  word  from  a  friend  cuts  him  to  the  heart.  He  is 
an  artist  by  instinct,  responsive  to  every  form  of  beauty  in  natural 
objects,  and  filled  with  awe  in  the  presence  of  whatever  is  massive 
or  otherwise  grand.  Crude  as  are  the  materials  of  which  he 
composes  them,  his  war  bonnet,  his  hunting  shirt,  his  ceremonial 
costume  for  great  occasions,  his  home-made  blankets  and  saddle- 
cloths, baskets  and  pottery,  his  decorated  weapons,  his  shell 
chains  and  silver  bracelets,  all  wear  the  stamp  of  a  genius  which 
needs  only  encouragement  to  win  recognition  far  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  a  curio  cabinet.  I  have  sat  with  a  party  of  Indians 
of  all  ages  in  a  remote  corner  of  our  country  and  listened  to  a 
musical  programme  ranging  in  variety  from  rag-time  to  Bach, 
and  noticed  that  the  most  emphatic  manifestations  of  approval 
from  the  red  people  were  reserved  for  classic  or  semi-classic 
selections  which  would  have  put  an  uneducated  white  audience 
to  sleep." 

And  on  page  54  Leupp  adds : 

"To  find  the  real  Indian  we  must  go  into  the  wilder  country 
where  white  ways  have  not  penetrated.     Here  we  find  him  a  man 

428 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

of  fine  physique,  a  model  of  hospitality,  a  kind  parent,  a  genial 
companion,  a  staunch  friend,  and  a  faithful  pledge-keeper.  Is 
not  this  a  pretty  good  foundation  on  which  to  build?" 

I  have  thus  quoted  at  considerable  length  from  Mr.  Leupp, 
because  he  probably  more  than  any  other  executive  set  on  foot 
the  execution  of  what  I  regard  as  the  little  less  than  infamous 
policies  underlying  the  laws  put  upon  the  statute  books  by  the 
Dawes  Commission.  And  yet  Leupp  was  doing  what  he  con- 
sidered his  duty  under  the  law,  and  seemingly  approved  thereof. 
Nevertheless  from  the  tone  of  his  writings  I  am  impressed  with 
the  thought  that  in  much  that  he  did  he  felt  in  his  heart  as  did 
General  Crook,  as  quoted  in  the  preface  (p.  vi)  to  A  Century  of 
Dishonor,  where  we  read: 

"General  Crook  expressed  the  feelings  of  the  army  when  he 
replied  to  a  friend  who  said,  'It  is  hard  to  go  on  such  a  cam- 
paign,' 'Yes,  it  is  hard;  but,  sir,  the  hardest  thing  is  to  go  and 
fight  those  whom  you  know  are  right.'  " 

No  one  probably,  from  actual  contact,  knew  the  Indians 
better  than  did  General  Crook.  He  evidently  abhorred  their 
cruel  treatment  by  the  government. 

They  were  the  wild,  free  children  of  Nature  and  the  call  of 
the  wild  thrilled  their  every  fiber,  planted  there  by  Divinity, 
which  they  could  not  repress  if  they  would.  And  knowing  this, 
when  our  government  rounded  up  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes 
about  the  early  thirties,  and  forced  them  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet  to  seek  a  home  in  the  wild  West,  it  bound  itself  by  the 
most  solemn  treaties  never  to  allow  the  white  man  to  intrude  on 
them  there ;  and  then  to  its  discredit  it  repealed  its  treaties. 

Nevertheless,  apologists  say  that  the  Indian  invited  white 
intruders  to  despoil  them  of  their  homes  a  second  time.  Turn 
from  these  bold  and  unsupported  statements  to  the  recorded 
facts  and  see  how  false  they  are. 

Thus,  in  Senate  Document  No.  143, 59th  Congress,  1st  session, 
"Proposed  State  of  Sequoyah,"  on  page  14  we  read  as  follows: 

429 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"At  a  general  convention  of  the  commissioners  of  the 
Choctaws,  Chickasaws,  Creeks,  Cherokee,  and  Seminole  nations 
at  South  McAlester,  November  12,  1896,  it  was  declared  by 
suitable  resolutions,  among  other  things,  that  the  earnest  and 
repeated  insistence  of  the  United  States  demanding  a  relinquish- 
ment of  the  tribal  governments  would  involve  the  follow- 
ing: 

"Our  people  must  relinquish  a  government  to  which  they 
are  most  deeply  attached,  they  must  give  up  their  customs  and 
habits,  which  have  become  essential  to  their  happiness. 

"They  must  conform  to  duties  and  habits  to  which  they  are 
totally  unaccustomed  and  which  would  be  irksome  and  un- 
pleasant in  the  extreme,  and  especially  to  the  thousands  of  non- 
English-speaking  people. 

"Each  individual  will  have  to  build  new  outside  fences  on 
north  and  south,  east  and  west  lines,  according  to  the  lines  newly 
surveyed  by  the  United  States. 

"Our  citizens  will  have  to  move  houses,  fences,  corrals, 
etc.,  and  change  their  orchards,  water  supply,  fields,  etc., 
and  other  establishments  to  conform  to  these  new  lines  of 
survey. 

"Our  citizens  would  lose  their  free  pasturage  of  cattle 
that  have  formerly  grazed  on  the  open  range,  will  require  the 
building  of  fences  around  small  pastures  for  such  cattle,  and 
providing  necessary  forage  for  such  stock. 

"Our  people  who  have  formerly  gotten  their  winter's  supply 
of  meat  and  annual  food  from  swine  on  the  open  mast  will  be 
compelled  to  bring  them  home  and  build  especial  close  pens  and 
provide  food  for  them. 

"Our  people  will  be  driven  to  abandon  all  the  previously 
constructed  roads,  and  must  of  necessity  build  new  roads  for 
traveling  north  and  south,  east  and  west,  which  will  impose  a 
new  expense  on  our  people. 

"Our  people  will,  under  the  new  conditions,  be  required  to 
come  in  close  personal  contact  with  numerous  impecunious 
persons  from  other  States,  who  will  endeavor  to  better  their 
condition  in  the  Indian  country  and  will  subject  our  people  to 
the  same  line  of  small,  exasperating,  and  aggressive  trespassing 
that  drove  the  Indians  in  Kansas,  the  Shawnees,  Delawares,  and 
Pottawatomies,  and  others,  out  of  the  State  for  refuge  in  the 
Indian  Territory." 

430 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Dr.  Barrows  (p.  195)  quotes  Francis  A.  Walker,  Indian 
Commissioner,  in  his  book,  The  Indian  Question,  as  saying: 

"There  is  scarcely  one  of  the  ninety- two  reservations  at 
present  established  (1874),  on  which  white  men  have  not  effected 
a  lodgment;  many  swarm  with  squatters,  who  hold  their  place 
by  intimidating  the  rightful  owners;  while  in  more  than  one  case 
the  Indians  have  been  wholly  dispossessed,  and  are  wanderers 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth." 

Who  knew  better  than  Walker  the  real  facts,  or  doubts  that 
he  spoke  the  truth? 

Dr.  Barrows  brought  out  his  book,  The  Indians'  Side  of  the 
Indian  Question,  in  1887,  and  entertained  great  hopes  that  the 
proposed  Dawes  policies  would  eventuate  in  great  good  to  the 
Indians,  though  he  pointed  out  that  it  all  depended  on  the  good 
faith  of  the  governing  officials  in  the  protection  of  Indian  rights 
under  the  law  as  written.  On  page  104  he  quotes  Senator  Dawes 
assaying:  "Government  has  never  kept  its  promises  to  the 
Indians,  and  there  are  no  indications  that  it  ever  will." 

Entertaining  these  views  how  could  any  one  expect  the 
Dawes  laws  to  be  fairly  administered  ? 

It  is  evident  that  the  controlling  thought  underlying  the  new 
policy  foreshadowed  in  the  report  of  the  Dawes  Commission  was 
to  cut  up  by  the  roots  every  Indian  treaty,  take  from  the  Indians 
their  lands,  cut  them  up,  compel  each  Indian  to  accept  a  few 
acres  in  severalty,  then  throw  the  balance  on  the  open  market, 
well  knowing  that  the  average  Indian  was  not  fitted  to  continue 
in  the  ownership  thereof,  and  that  eventually  the  white  man 
would  supersede  the  Indian  in  the  ownership  of  Indian  lands. 
To  a  large  extent  this  object  has  been  accomplished,  and  the 
nefarious  work  is  still  marching  on. 

To  illustrate  how  completely  the  nefarious  plan  to  despoil 
the  Indians  of  their  lands,  so  that  the  ownership  thereof  might 
be  enjoyed  by  the  white  man,  is  succeeding,  I  will  here  quote  from 
a  letter  of  Honorable  Gabe  E.  Parker,  Superintendent  of  the 

431 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Five  Civilized  Tribes,  of  November  19,  1920,  in  answer  to  my 
question,  About  what  is  now  the  number  of  the  acres  owned  in 
fee  by  the  Chickasaw  Indians? 
Mr.  Parker  answers : 

"Approximately  2,987,000  acres  were  allotted  to  Chickasaws 
by  blood  and  intermarriage,  and  180,000  acres  to  Chickasaw 
freedmen,  making  a  total  of  2,197,000  allotted  to  all  classes  of 
enrolled  Chickasaws.  It  is  estimated  that  from  fifty  per  cent  to 
seventy-five  per  cent  of  the  Chickasaws  have  alienated  their 
land,  leaving  approximately  650,000  acres  still  held  by  them 
individually  in  fee.  All  of  the  tribal  land  in  the  Chickasaw 
nation  has  been  allotted  or  sold,  except  approximately  three 
hundred  acres  still  belonging  to  the  tribe.  There  remains  un- 
sold tribal  property  in  the  Choctaw  nation  worth  approximately 
$12,000,000,  in  which  the  Chickasaws  own  about  one-fourth 
interest." 

No  one  would  expect  the  average  Indian  to  be  able  to  keep 
the  cash  he  received  from  the  sale  of  the  unallotted  land,  and  as 
to  the  land  allotted  in  severalty  we  see  that  which  the  whites 
anticipated  has  taken  place,  and  that  from  fifty  to  seventy-five 
per  cent  of  the  Chickasaws  have  not  where  to  lay  their  heads, 
made  homeless  in  the  country  which  was  theirs  by  right,  and 
which  they  owned  in  fee  simple,  not  only  under  the  Choctaw 
treaty  of  1830,  under  which  the  Chickasaws  claim  they  purchased 
part  of  the  Choctaw  country  by  and  with  the  consent  and  agree- 
ment of  the  United  States  government,  but  also  in  pursuance  of 
this  treaty  the  United  States  government  issued  its  patent  or 
deed  to  the  Indians,  the  conveying  part  whereof  is  in  these  words 
as  shown  (p.  6)  by  Bond : 

"That  the  United  States  of  America,  in  consideration  of  the 
premises  and  in  execution  of  the  agreement  and  stipulation  in 
the  aforesaid  treaty,  have  given  and  granted,  and  by  these  patents 
do  give  and  grant,  unto  the  said  Choctaw  nation  the  aforesaid 
'tract  of  country  west  of  the  Mississippi,'  to  be  conveyed  by  the 
aforesaid  article,  'in  fee  simple  to  them  and  their  descendants,  to 

432 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

inure  to  them  while  they  shall  exist  as  a  nation  and  live  on  it,' 
liable  to  no  transfer  or  alienations,  except  to  the  United  States 
or  with  their  consent." 

How  could  the  United  States,  with  any  show  of  justice, 
against  the  will  and  over  the  protest  of  the  Chickasaws  repudiate 
its  own  fee  simple  deed? 


As  stated  above  Leupp  was  the  Indian  Commissioner  when 
the  so-called  Dawes  agreement  with  the  Indians  was  put  into 
force  and  effect,  and  in  1910  he  published  The  Indian  and  His 
Problem,  which  I  have  read  with  much  interest,  and  though  he 
favored  the  Dawes  policy,  still  he  was  a  witness  to  the  abhorrence 
of  the  Indians  to  that  policy;  for  on  page  85  he  says: 

"For  a  number  of  years  after  the  allotment  system  had 
become  well  established,  most  of  the  Indians  used  to  resist 
stubbornly  the  efforts  of  the  government  to  give  them  lands  in 
severalty.  They  would  run  away  when  the  Allotting  Agent 
with  his  crew  of  assistants  came  into  their  neighborhood,  and 
conceal  themselves  in  the  thicket,  or  ride  back  over  the  hills, 
leaving  only  a  cloud  of  dust  to  mark  their  pathless  course.  If 
they  had  long  enough  warning  of  his  coming,  they  would  dis- 
appear in  the  night,  so  that  he  would  find  nothing  but  an  empty 
camp.  The  allotment  statutes,  however,  had  anticipated  such  a 
contingency  by  providing  that,  should  any  Indian  refuse  or 
neglect  to  make  his  own  selection  of  land,  it  should  be  officially 
made  for  him  after  a  specified  interval  of  waiting." 

In  this  connection  we  should  remember  the  clauses  in  the 
Dawes  so-called  agreement,  forbidding  the  ownership  by  any 
Indian  of  any  large  amount  of  land,  which  were  evidently  in- 
serted in  order  to  prevent  such  capable  Indians  as  might  by 
chance  appear  to  become  the  owners  of  large  tracts,  thus  paralyz- 
ing all  capable  or  ambitious  Indians,  so  as  to  make  all  Indians 
indiscriminately  an  easy  prey  to  the  white  land  grabber. 

433 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Illogical  Argument  Against  Ownership  in  Common— 

The  argument  of  Senator  Dawes  and  all  those  who,  from  the 
beginning,  have  lent  a  helping  hand  in  despoiling  the  Indians 
of  their  right  to  hold  their  land  in  common,  usually  assumed  the 
form  of  an  interrogatory;  thus,  why  should  the  Indians  be  allowed 
to  hold  thousands  of  acres  in  common,  only  cultivating  a  small 
part  thereof,  instead  of  cutting  it  up  into  small  tracts  so  that  it 
might  be  owned  in  severalty  and  cultivated  in  small  farms  by 
poor  white  people? 

In  the  first  place  it  is  sound  law,  and  fortified  by  common 
sense,  that  a  person  has  a  right  to  use  his  own  land  in  any  manner 
he  sees  fit,  so  long  as  his  use  thereof  in  no  way  injures  other 
people. 

When  the  Chickasaws,  as  well  as  all  the  Five  Civilized 
tribes,  were  literally  driven  from  their  ancient  homes  east  of  the 
Mississippi  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  of  United  States  troops 
they  were  guaranteed  by  our  government  the  right  to  forever 
hold  their  property  in  common;  for  this  was  a  fundamental 
principle  of  their  conception  of  what  was  just  and  right  among 
themselves ;  and  this  conception  was  as  sacred  to  them  as  religion 
itself,  and  was  a  part  of  their  spiritual  life.  To  deprive  them  of 
this  sacred  right  was  worse  than  to  rob  them  of  their  worldly 
goods. 

But  was  the  white  man  logical,  nay,  was  he  even  sincere 
when  he  said  the  Indians  should  not  be  allowed  to  own  their 
land  in  common  in  the  Indian  territory,  which  is  only  a  part  of 
the  State  of  Oklahoma,  because  the  poor  white  man  had  an  un- 
challenged right  to  cultivate  all  this  continent  in  small  tracts 
suitable  to  his  means? 

Let  us  see. 

The  fertile  Mississippi  delta,  more  fertile  than  the  valley 
of  the  Nile,  much  of  which  formerly  belonged  to  the  Chickasaws, 
is  now  mostly  owned  by  wealthy  men  in  large  tracts,  from  one 
thousand  to  ten  thousand  acres  often  being  owned  by  one  man, 
while  the  poor  man  is  forced  to  a  state  of  tenantry.    Large  parts 

434 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

of  the  blue  grass  regions  of  Kentucky  are  owned  in  tracts  com- 
prising thousands  of  acres,  where  the  millionaire  raises  nothing 
but  fine  race  horses,  for  his  amusement,  and  no  poor  man  would 
think  of  asking  to  cultivate  these  race  horse  preserves. 

Like  conditions  obtain  all  over  this  country,  and  in  New 
England  large  parts  of  counties,  comprising  thousands  of  acres, 
have  been  bought  up  by  millionaires  and  converted  into  game 
preserves  where  the  plow-share  is  never  permitted  to  enter;  and 
what  for?  Merely  to  satisfy  the  whim  or  caprice  of  the  wealthy 
men;  to  experiment  in  raising  wild  game,  but  not  for  general  use; 
and  as  for  the  poor  man,  he  is  permitted  to  live  on  a  crust  of 
bread,  softened  by  the  tears  of  poverty,  and  would  probably  be 
suspicioned  of  lunacy,  were  he  to  insist  on  a  right  to  cultivate  a 
part  of  the  preserve  to  make  bread  and  meat  for  himself  and 
family. 

Nor  is  this  all,  for  nearly  all  the  absolute  necessities  of  life 
are  monopolized  by  the  rich,  and  niggardly  doled  out  to  the  poor; 
as  witness  the  ownership  of  petroleum,  stored  in  the  bowels  of 
the  earth  by  a  beneficent  Creator  for  his  children,  the  sons  of  men. 

And,  yet,  this  indispensable  commodity,  with  its  almost 
countless  derivatives,  is  owned  in  monopoly  by  a  very  few  in- 
dividuals, who  are  rich  beyond  the  dream  of  avarice.  King 
Croesus,  who  ruled  over  a  vast  region,  was  so  rich  in  his  day, 
according  to  the  conceptions  of  what  was  then  a  wealthy  man, 
that  his  very  name  was  coined  into  the  language  of  men  as  a 
symbol  of  the    greatest  possible  measure  of  wealth. 

And  yet  the  riches  of  Croesus  were  but  as  "thirty  cents" 
when  compared  to  the  wealth  of  the  present  day  coal-oil 
magnate.  It  can  now  be  said  as  truly  as  of  old,  "Man's 
inhumanity  to  man  makes  countless  thousands  moan!" 

Nor  judged  by  other  standards,  can  our  refusal  to  allow  the 
Indians  to  hold  their  land  in  common,  be  justified. 

The  United  States  has  set  apart  various  forest,  game,  and 
other  preserves  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands  square  miles,  many 
times  greater  in  area  than  several  Indian  territories,  all  to  be  held 

435 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

in  common  forever  for  the  pleasure,  and  not  cultivation,  of  all  the 
people  and  to  be  enjoyed  by  them  in  common,  and  where  wild 
game  of  all  kinds  may  thrive  in  natural  luxuriance,  making  of  it 
a  veritable  happy  hunting  ground — according  to  the  conception 
of  the  primitive  Indian  an  ideal  heaven ;  and  yet  the  Indians  may 
own  nothing  in  common;  and  why?  simply  because  he  is  an 
Indian. 

But  leaving  aside  the  Indian's  religion  and  philosophy  of 
life,  which  made  it  necessary  that  all  land  should  be  held  in 
common,  so  that  there  might  be  no  rich  or  poor  Indians,  how  can 
the  conduct  of  the  white  man  be  justified  in  the  light  of  the 
Christian  religion  which  he  professes? 

St.  Paul  was  one  of  the  greatest  men  who  ever  trod  this 
earth,  and  said:  "And  all  that  believed  were  together,  and  had 
all  things  common";  and  he  also  warned  us  that  the  love  of 
money  was  the  root  of  all  evil. 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  taught  that  we  should  take  no  care  for 
tomorrow,  what  we  would  eat  or  what  we  should  drink,  saying: 

"Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow;  they  toil 
not,  neither  do  they  spin;  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even 
Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these." 

Now  all  of  this  so  fits  in  with  the  Indian  conception  of 
religion  and  philosophy  that  we  are  not  surprised  when  Eastman 
says  (p.  142)  that  when  he  was  unfolding  to  the  far  Western 
Indians  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  the  teachings  of  Jesus  as 
to  self-denial,  and  as  to  sharing  our  last  morsel  with  our  neighbor, 
an  Indian  at  once  spoke  up,  expressing  his  surprise,  saying  that 
was  the  religion  of  the  Indians,  while  another  of  the  older  men, 
after  long  reflection,  said:  "I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
this  Jesus  was  an  Indian." 

The  sad  truth  is  that  we  preach  one  religion,  but  practice 
another.  Eastman  is  a  Sioux  Indian,  has  a  finished  university 
training,  is  a  physician,  a  lecturer  and  author  of  note,  well  and 
widely  known  for  his  great  intelligence  and  accomplishments. 

436 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

His  book  From  Deep  Woods  to  Civilization  is  well  worth  reading 
by  any  one  who  may  desire  to  have  a  true  insight  to  Indian 
psychology. 

Chapter  VIII  (p.  116),  treating  of  war  with  the  politicians, 
graphically  sets  forth  his  disillusionments  as  to  the  supposed 
honesty  of  public  officials  by  the  swindling  operations  of  the 
white  underlings  among  reservation  Indians,  how  by  "short 
changes"  the  unlettered  Indians  were  fleeced  of  thousands  of 
dollars  on  pay  day. 

When  a  loud  protest  went  up  from  missionaries  and  honest 
white  men,  an  honest  inspector  was  sent  to  the  reservation,  who 
made  a  report  exposing  the  fraud.  This  report  was  promptly 
suppressed,  and  another  agent  sent  out,  and  by  manipulations 
he  whitewashed  the  whole  affair,  and  many  of  the  honest  men 
who  sought  to  do  justice  to  the  Indians  were  traduced,  while 
others  were  dismissed  from  the  service,  and  Eastman,  who  was 
physician  to  the  reservation,  was  given  to  understand  that  he 
would  be  transferred  to  another  field  in  the  service,  but  he 
indignantly  resigned,  severing  his  connection  with  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  case  was  carried  to  Washington  to  the  President  and 
even  to  Senator  Dawes  (p.  133),  the  professed  special  friend  of 
the  Indians,  but  the  politicians  were  so  bulwarked  and  buttressed 
at  Washington  that  fraud  and  corruption  triumphed. 

Chapter  IX  (p.  136),  "Civilization  as  Preached  and  Prac- 
ticed," is  a  revelation  as  to  the  lobbyists  at  Washington,  and 
how  almost  impossible  it  is  to  present  the  justice  of  any  Indian 
complainant  for  redress  before  Congress;  but  these  discreditable 
details  lie  outside  the  scope  of  this  sketch. 

We  are  not  surprised  to  learn  that  when  Eastman  became 
thus  disillusioned,  he  was  sorely  tempted  to  return  to  the  wild 
woods  and  the  faith  of  his  fathers ;  but  finally  the  example  of  the 
many  men  and  women  who  not  only  preached,  but  practiced  the 
Christian  religion,  thereby  making  their  religion  a  part  of  their 
lives,  won  the  day  (p.  151)  for  Eastman  and  for  the  white  man's 

437 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

civilization,  which  would  scarcely  have  been  possible,  except 
for  his  unusual  intellectual  endowments  and  accomplishments. 

Bobbing  Indians  According  to  Law- 
Reference  has  elsewhere  been  made  to  various  devices  by 
which  the  whites  cheated  the  Indians,  from  the  low  device  of 
short  counting  and  changing  money,  all  the  way  up  to  more 
complicated  cheating;  but  the  rapacity  of  the  whites  did  not 
stop  with  these  processes,  for  they  devised  methods  which  I 
denominate  robbing  the  Indians  according  to  law. 

To  the  average  reader  this  would  seem  a  thing  incredible 
in  the  light  of  the  twentieth  century;  nevertheless  it  is  only  too 
shamefully  true. 

The  grafters  had  become  so  bold  that  on  March  7,  1904, 
President  Roosevelt  appointed  Charles  J.  Bonaparte  and  Clinton 
Rogers  Woodruff,  Special  Inspectors  in  the  matter  of  alleged 
abuses  and  irregularities  in  the  public  service  of  the  Indian 
Territory. 

The  inspectors  were  men  of  known  ability  and  integrity, 
and  set  about  the  performance  of  the  duties  imposed  upon  them 
in  an  earnest  manner,  after  which  they  made  an  elaborate  report, 
embraced  in  Senate  Document  189,  58th  Congress,  2nd  Session, 
which  is  illuminating  to  those  who  may  desire  to  read  the  whole 
story;  but  obviously  only  slight  reference  can  be  made  thereto 
in  this  sketch.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  many  abuses  were  pointed 
out,  and  it  was  also  pointed  out  (p.  26)  that  the  real  Indians  in 
Oklahoma  were  fast  dying  out  (to  quote): 

"Not,  in  most  cases,  from  disease  or  vice,  but,  in  the  striking 
and  pathetic  words  of  one  of  them  who  testified  before  us,  for 
want  of  hope;  or,  in  other  words,  because  their  present  environ- 
ment is  so  unsympathetic,  and  the  impossibility  for  them  to  hold 
their  own  in  the  competition  to  which  they  are  already  exposed, 
and  which  will  grow  more  severe  every  day  hereafter,  is  so  mani- 
fest that  the  future  holds  out  to  them  no  prospect  which  makes 
life  worth  living.   One  of  the  witnesses  examined  before  us,  a  man 

43S 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

of  life-long  experience  with  Indians,  and,  as  it  seemed  to  us, 
exceptionally  impartial  and  guarded  in  his  statements,  described 
the  average  full-blood  Indian  as  about  the  equal,  intellectually 
and  morally,  of  a  white  child  of  ten;  and  the  facts  disclosed  by 
our  inquiry  lead  us  to  believe  that  this  description  contains  an 
exceptionally  large  measure  of  truth." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  state  in  so  few  words  the  unhappy  and 
almost  hopeless  situation  for  the  Indians.  With  the  unexpected 
wealth  that  was  developed  in  the  Indian  country  by  the  exploita- 
tion of  its  mineral  wealth  and  vast  deposits  of  oil,  there  was  a 
field  opened  for  the  grafters  possibly  without  a  parallel  in  the 
history  of  this  country,  and  they  lost  no  time  or  means  in  pil- 
fering to  the  uttermost  farthing. 

Because  a  full-blood  Indian  proves  as  easy  a  victim  to  be 
cheated  and  swindled  as  a  child  of  ten  years,  it  must  not  be 
concluded  that  in  all  respects  he  is  the  same  as  a  mere  child;  far 
from  it.  I  have  endeavored  to  show  elsewhere  that  the  ownership 
of  property  in  severalty  is  repugnant  to  every  instinct  and  moral 
conception  of  the  Indian;  and  so  ingrained  is  this  conception  in 
his  mental  and  moral  make  up,  that  it  is  a  part  of  his  very  exist- 
ence; hence  he  is  as  a  child  in  respect  to  these  matters.  Let  the 
home  of  the  same  Indian  be  invaded,  or  should  he  be  called  to 
arms,  then  he  is  not  only  as  fearless  as  the  bravest  of  the  brave, 
but  will  suffer  torture  and  death  without  one  word  of  complaint, 
and  rather  deride  and  defy  his  enemy  to  the  last  breath,  thus 
proving  his  contempt  of  death  and  his  unconquerable  will. 

Rev.  J.  S.  Murrow  went  as  a  missionary  to  live  among  the 
Indians  of  Oklahoma  in  1857,  called,  as  he  says,  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  while  that  country  was  wild  and  supposed  to  be  barren 
to  a  large  extent,  devoting  his  life  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
Indians,  and  so  continued  up  to  at  least  1912,  when  he  published 
a  pamphlet,  The  Indian's  Side,  in  order  that  the  world  might 
realize,  at  least  in  part,  the  infamy  of  grafters  in  robbing  the 
Indians,  for  whose  welfare  Murrow  had  devoted  fifty-five  years 
of  his  life. 

439 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  order  that  it  may  not  be  supposed  that  I  have  incor- 
rectly overstated  the  situation  I  will  quote  from  Murrow  (p.  28), 
who  says : 

"All  Indians  love  their  children  devotedly,  and  are  exceed- 
ingly kind  to  them.  Of  course,  among  all  civilized  people,  aye 
and  uncivilized  too,  parents,  when  living,  are  the  natural  guard- 
ians of  their  own  children.  But  those  brutal  grafters  conceived  a 
plan  to  get  an  order  from  Congress  or  from  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  granting  to  white  men  the  right  to  become  guardians, 
not  only  of  orphans  but  also  of  all  Indian  minors.  In  this  they 
succeeded,  and  the  federal  judges,  some  six  or  eight  for  the 
whole  territory,  were  empowered  to  appoint  guardians  for  all 
Indian  minors  and  were  given  jurisdiction  over  all  probate 
business.  This  was  before  statehood.  As  soon  as  this  was  done, 
hundreds  of  Spirits  of  Greed  came  from  all  parts  of  the  United 
States,  seeking  the  guardianship  of  Indian  minors,  especially 
orphans,  of  whom  there  were  a  great  many.  Probably  the  world 
never  saw  before  such  an  interest  in  orphan  children.  Of  course, 
these  men  cared  nothing  for  the  persons  of  the  children,  but  were 
especially  anxious  about  their  estates.  Scores  of  Spirits  of 
Progress  traveled  all  over  the  full-blood  settlements,  buying  up 
minor  children.  They  paid  all  the  way  from  five  to  twenty-five 
dollars  for  a  child,  with  some  candy,  tobacco,  toys  or  cheap 
jewelry  thrown  in  for  good  measure.  Then  they  went  before 
some  federal  judge,  with  letters  of  application  for  the  guardian- 
ship of  the  children  on  their  lists. 

"I  sat  in  a  court  room  one  day  and  heard  a  man  from  Kansas 
City,  who  was  a  great  land  speculator  and  lumber  dealer,  make 
application  to  a  federal  judge  for  the  guardianship  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  Choctaw  children.  This  man  had  secured  a 
large  number  in  the  Chickasaw  nation.  He  did  not  conceal  his 
purpose  to  file  these  children's  allotments  in  the  great  rich  pine 
forests  of  the  Choctaw  nation.  If  he  had  succeeded,  it  would 
have  made  him  several  times  a  millionaire.  Fortunately,  how- 
ever, the  judge  had  some  conscience  and  declined  to  grant  the 
request.  However,  the  man  has  now  immense  claims  on  Indian 
lands." 

We  also  learn  from  Murrow  (p.  29)  that  the  grafters  made 
it  a  business  to  look  up  any  sick  Indian,  take  him  some  tempting 

440 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

food,  and  if  death  appeared  to  be  near,  then  a  doctor  was  em- 
ployed, and  in  return  the  grafter  managed  to  have  a  will  drawn, 
conveying  the  estate  of  the  sick  Indian  to  this  white  angel  of 
mercy ! 

I  will  forbear  to  quote  further  from  Murrow,  lest  it  might 
be  assumed  that  the  natural  sympathy  by  reason  of  his  spiritual 
labors  had  clouded  his  vision  as  to  the  material  mistreatment  of 
the  people  to  whom  he  had  dedicated  a  life  of  service  for  his 
Lord.  From  official  sources,  however,  the  shameful  story  is  also 
told  in  language  more  forcible,  if  possible,  than  that  of  Murrow. 

Warren  K.  Morehead,  a  member  of  the  United  States  Board 
of  Indian  Commissioners,  also  brought  out  a  pamphlet  of 
forty- two  pages  soon  after  that  of  Murrow  appeared,  entitled 
Our  National  Problem,  and  he  called  Oklahoma  The  Land  of 
Guardians! 

Morehead  traveled  all  over  Oklahoma  in  1913  to  learn  for 
himself  the  truth  as  to  the  grafting  to  which  the  members  of  the 
Five  Civilized  Tribes  were  subjected,  and  having  thus  learned 
at  first-hands  the  truth,  he  published  the  details  of  case  after 
case,  giving  names  of  the  grafters,  names  of  their  victims,  and 
how  robbed,  the  amounts  pilfered,  and,  in  short,  facts  pertaining 
to  each  case,  all  of  which  can  be  read  by  any  one  who  may  wish 
further  details.  Morehead  wrote  to  me  May  9,  1921,  that  if  any 
of  the  statements  in  the  pamphlet  had  not  been  true,  the  persons 
mentioned  would  probably  have  sued  him  for  libel  long  since;  but 
as  Morehead  is  still  in  the  service  and  militant,  it  may  be  as- 
sumed that  the  grafters  are  consoling  themselves  for  the  expose  by 
the  comforting  reflection  that  they  now  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their 
frauds. 

On  page  35  Morehead  says: 

"I  never  dreamed  that  the  famous  Five  Civilized  Tribes, 
once  so  prosperous,  had  sunk  into  such  poverty  and  distress, 
until  I  beheld  with  my  own  eyes  what  our  removal  of  restrictions 
has  brought  about. 

441 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Mr.  Kelsey,  Mr.  Mott,  Mr.  Gresham,  Commissioner 
Wright,  and  all  the  other  loyal  men  now  engaged  in  fighting  a 
heroic  battle  in  Oklahoma,  are  powerless  unless  Congress  will  do 
for  the  Oklahoma  Indians  today  what  it  should  have  done 
several  years  ago.  Our  public  men  should  realize  that  unless 
we  afford  the  protection  to  which  these  poor  people  are  clearly 
entitled  by  every  law  of  both  God  and  man,  we  will  plunge  the 
remnants  of  the  famous  Five  Civilized  Tribes  into  the  depths  of 
despair.  It  is  not  mere  rhetoric,  it  is  not  an  exaggeration,  but 
on  the  contrary  it  is  the  cold,  naked  truth  that  unless  we  revolu- 
tionize and  remedy  conditions  in  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  we 
shall  have  tens  of  thousands  of  homeless  paupers  to  support." 

Let  us  take  another  step  and  view  the  situation  as  exposed 
in  the  halls  of  Congress,  December  13,  191 2,  in  an  address  by  the 
Honorable  Charles  H.  Burke,  then  a  Representative  from  South 
Dakota,  and  recently  (1921)  appointed  by  President  Harding 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs.  Mr.  Burke  thus  denounced 
the  Oklahoma  courts : 

"Mr.  Chairman,  on  former  occasions  I  and  others  on  this 
side  of  the  House  have  questioned  the  integrity  and  the  honesty 
of  the  probate  courts  of  Oklahoma,  and  I  want  to  say  right  now 
at  the  outset  that,  in  my  opinion,  in  the  probate  courts  in  that 
portion  of  Oklahoma  where  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  reside  some 
of  the  judges  are  corrupt  and  dishonest,  and  a  large  number  of 
them  are  indifferent  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  their  office, 
so  far  as  the  affairs  of  Indian  minors  and  Indians  generally  are 
concerned,  and  particularly  in  guardianship  matters." 

As  might  be  expected,  Mr.  Burke  was  often  interrupted  by 
questions  from  other  members,  and  I  must  content  myself  with 
only  one  other  extract  from  his  speech,  because  it  gives  the  cold 
statistical  information  which  exposes  the  infamy  practiced  more 
fully  than  mere  words  of  description.  We  read  further  on  p.  9 
as  follows : 

"Mr.  Burke  of  South  Dakota.  Before  I  get  through,  I  will 
give  the  gentlemen  some  figures  on  that.     Summing  up  the 

442 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

aggregate  of  the  eight  counties,  for  I  have  not  time  to  take  each 
county,  it  shows  that  the  total  number  of  so  called  professional 
guardianships  is  2,320. 

Total  amount  of  funds  handled $3,896,693.06 

Total  amount  of  attorneys'  fees 346,095.39 

Total  court  costs 138,205.46 

Total  guardian  fees 279,18249 

Total  expense  of  guardianship 763,483.34 

"Percentage  costs  of   administration,   as   I    have   already 
stated,  19.3  per  cent  of  the  amount  handled. 
"It  also  shows: 
"Total  number  of  competent  guardianships  is  534. 

Total  amount  of  funds  handled $1,346,523.07 

Total  amount  of  attorneys'  fees 21,762.41 

Total  court  costs 11 ,295.92 

Total  guardian  fees 19,972.58 

Total  expense  of  guardianship 53,030.91 

"Percentage  cost  of  administration,  3.1  per  cent  of  the 
amount  handled. 

"These  two  classes  include  only  guardianships  of  tribal 
minors.  This  aggregate  shows  the  total  number  of  white 
guardianships  is  203. 

Total  amount  of  funds  handled $328,536.00 

Total  amount  of  attorneys'  fees 3,117.94 

Total  court  costs 2,625.51 

Total  guardian  fees 2,021.40 

Total  expense  of  guardianship 7>755-85 

"Percentage  cost  of  administration,  2.3  per  cent  of  the 
amount  handled." 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  amounts  handled  by  the  so-called 
professional  guardians  were  about  three  times  those  handled  by 
legitimate  Indian  guardians,  while  the  amounts  handled  by 
white  guardians  for  white  children  were  only  about  one-tenth  in 

443 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

amount  of  those  handled  by  white  grafters  for  Indian  children, 
showing  the  richness  of  the  spoils  handled  by  the  grafters. 

It  is  also  a  significant  fact  that  while  the  percentage  of  cost 
of  administration  by  the  grafters  was  19.3  per  cent  of  the  amount 
handled,  that  of  legitimate  guardians  for  Indian  children  was 
only  3.1  per  cent  of  the  amount  handled,  while  that  of  white 
guardians  for  white  children  was  only  2.3  per  cent  of  the  amount 
handled. 

It  thus  appears  that  the  Oklahoma  courts  awarded  to  white 
grafters  nearly  nine  times  more  for  the  administration  of  the 
estates  of  Indian  children  than  the  same  courts  allowed  white 
men  for  the  administration  of  the  estates  of  white  children. 

And,  yet,  beginning  with  the  first  opinion  of  Marshall 
down  to  and  including  the  latest  deliverance  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court,  it  has  been  said  and  repeated  thousands  of  times 
that  the  United  States  is  the  guardian,  and  the  Indians  are  its 
wards,  for  whose  welfare  the  deepest  solicitude  is  always  ex- 
pressed; that  the  Indian  problem  is  a  political  one,  over  which 
Congress  has  unbridled  control,  and  that  the  halls  of  Congress 
afford  the  only  asylum  to  which  the  American  Indian  can  flee  for 
protection.     What  a  mockery!     This  is  by  no  means  all. 

There  was  attached  and  made  a  part  of  the  speech  of  Mr. 
Burke  the  report  of  M.  L.  Mott,  the  able  Creek  lawyer  for  the 
Creek  nation,  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  on  this  subject,  upon 
which  favorable  comment  was  made,  it  being  an  exhaustive  study 
of  the  details  of  guardianships  embraced  in  the  summary  given 
by  Mr.  Burke  and  quoted  above,  of  2,320  cases  of  Creek  guardian- 
ships, whereas  there  were  4,339  additional  Creek  guardianships 
not  reported  upon  at  all,  not  to  mention  guardianships  for  Indian 
children  of  other  nations.  As  to  these  4,339  cases,  Mr.  Mott 
says  the  guardians  had  made  no  reports,  or  the  papers  and  court 
files  were  in  the  hands  of  guardians,  or  inaccessible,  and  in  all 
of  these  cases  it  was  found  impossible  to  secure  reports. 

It  thus  appears  that  in  a  majority  of  the  guardianships 
so-called,  no  reports  were  made,  and  who  doubts  that  this  was 

444 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

because  in  most  instances  the  entire  estates  of  Indian  minors 
were  appropriated  outright  by  their  white  "professional"  guar- 
dians. 

Mott  pointed  out  that  the  grafters  had  persistently  and 
tenaciously  contended  that  the  full-bloods  were  competent  to 
manage  their  own  affairs;  and  that  this  they  would  continue  to 
clamor  for  with  a  view  of  despoiling  them  of  their  homesteads; 
and  time  has  vindicated  what  he  said.     On  page  31  he  says: 

'Trior  to  the  act  of  May  27,  1908,  the  Indian  land  grafters 
in  Oklahoma  had  secured  from  full-blood  Indians  deeds  to  thous- 
ands of  tracts  of  inherited  lands.  These  deeds  were  secured  by 
all  kinds  of  fraud  and  for  comparatively  no  consideration,  and 
the  lands  so  conveyed  were  worth  into  the  millions." 

In  a  letter  of  Joseph  H.  Choate,  dated  April  3,  1916,  he 
pointed  out  how  helpless  the  full-blood  Indian  was  to  contend 
with  the  white  grafter,  and  that  the  Supreme  Court  had  recently 
so  adjudged  in  the  case  of  Tiger  vs.  Western  Investment  Co.,  221 
U.  S.,  286-297,  and  Mr.  Choate  quoted  from  that  opinion  as 
follows : 

'That  full-blood  Indians  of  the  Five  Tribes  are,  as  a  class, 
incompetent  must  be  assumed,  not  only  from  the  legislation  of 
Congress  with  respect  to  them,  but  from  the  finding  of  the  Court 
of  Claims  where,  in  the  case  of  Brown  &  Gritts  vs.  United  States 
(44  C.  Cls.,  283),  it  was  expressly  found  that  full-blood  Cher- 
okees,  whose  right  to  alienate  their  lands  was  forbidden  by  the 
legislation  contemporaneous  with  that  involved  in  the  case  at 
bar,  were,  as  a  class,  unable  to  speak  the  English  language  and 
incompetent  to  guard  their  interest  from  designing  persons  who 
were  constantly  attempting  to  induce  them  to  part  with  their 
property  at  grossly  inadequate  compensation." 

It  may  be  here  noted  that  Mr.  Choate  was  then  an  honorary 
president  of  the  Indian  Rights  Association,  with  headquarters  in 
the  Drexel  Building,  Philadelphia,  which  for  years  has  rendered 
the  greatest  service  to  all  who  under  most  disadvantageous  con- 

445 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ditions  have  labored  for  at  least  a  modicum  of  justice  for  the 
Indians.  The  Association  depends  for  means  upon  dues  paid 
by  a  benevolent  membership,  who  feel  it  a  sense  of  duty  to  pro- 
tect, as  far  as  possible,  the  friendless  aborigines  of  this  country. 
M.  K.  Sniffen  is  at  present  the  able  secretary  of  the  Association, 
and  on  April  15,  191 3,  in  a  paper,  The  Record  of  Thirty  Years, 
summarized  the  activities  of  the  Association  during  that  period, 
and  annually  the  Association  issues  a  report  of  its  activities ;  and 
to  these  sources  I  must  refer  those  who  may  desire  to  look  deeper 
into  the  subject. 

The  Judiciary  Sustains  Congress- 
Congress  having  cut  up  by  the  roots  ever  treaty  made  with 
the  Indians,  there  was  nothing  left  except  to  appeal  to  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court,  and  I  regret  that  this  appeal  was  made 
in  vain.  We  learn  from  Leupp  (p.  82)  that  the  Indian  Rights 
Association  made  that  appeal  in  the  name  of  Lone  Wolf,  a  prom- 
inent Kiowa  chief,  and  the  opinion  in  the  case  can  now  be  read  in 
187  U.  S.  553, 47  L.  Ed.,  p.  299,  delivered  on  January  5,  1903;  and 
according  to  Leupp  it  blasted  every  hope  of  the  Indians  and  their 
white  friends.  In  substance  the  opinion  declared  that  the 
questions  involved  were  of  a  political  character,  and  that  Con- 
gress might  at  will,  without  let  or  hindrance  from  the  judiciary, 
disregard  every  treaty  made  with  the  Indians  from  the  foundation 
of  the  government,  for  which  there  was  no  remedy.  Believing 
that  this  opinion,  as  well  as  others  that  preceded  it,  are  unsound 
both  in  law  and  the  very  right  of  the  matter,  a  short  review  of 
the  questions  involved  will  disclose  the  reasons  for  my  opinion. 

Article  VI  of  the  United  States  Constitution  reads,  in  part, 
as  follows : 

"All  treaties  made,  or  which  shall  be  made,  under  the  auth- 
ority of  the  United  States,  shall  be  the  supreme  law  of  the  land ; 
and  the  judges  in  every  state  shall  be  bound  thereby,  anything  in 
the  Constitution  or  laws  of  any  State  to  the  contrary  notwith  - 
standing." 

446 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  Indians  had  a  right  to  believe  that  this  clause  meant 
what  it  said. 

The  noted  case  of  the  Cherokee  Nation  vs.  Georgia,  5  Peters 
1,  8  L.  Ed.  25,  has  been  already  commented  upon,  wherein  it  was 
held  that  the  American  Indians  were  not  a  foreign  state,  but  that 
they  had  a  right  of  occupancy  of  the  country  in  their  possession, 
the  court  declaring  on  page  48  that  the  "Indians  have  rights  of 
occupancy  to  their  lands  as  sacred  as  the  fee  simple,  absolute  of 
the  whites;"  and  this  quoted  excerpt  has  been  repeatedly  af- 
firmed in  subsequent  cases. 

Chief  Justice  Marshall,  answering  in  part  the  argument  of 
William  Wirt,  said : 

"So  much  of  the  argument  as  was  intended  to  prove  the 
character  of  the  Cherokees  as  a  State,  as  a  distinct  political 
society  separated  from  others,  capable  of  managing  its  own  affairs 
and  governing  itself,  has,  in  the  opinion  of  a  majority  of  the 
judges,  been  completely  successful.  They  have  been  uniformly 
treated  as  a  State  from  the  settlement  of  our  country.  The 
numerous  treaties  made  with  them  by  the  United  States  recognize 
them  as  a  people  capable  of  maintaining  the  relations  of  peace 
and  war,  of  being  responsible  in  their  political  character  for  any 
violation  of  their  engagements,  or  for  any  aggression  committed 
on  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  by  any  individual  of  their 
community.  Laws  have  been  made  and  enacted  in  the  spirit  of 
these  treaties.  The  acts  of  our  government  plainly  recognize 
the  Cherokee  nation  as  a  State,  and  the  courts  are  bound  by 
those  acts." 


At  this  time  the  United  States  was  comparatively  weak  and 
the  Indians  comparatively  strong,  and  their  standing  as  a  State, 
perfectly  competent  to  enter  into  a  treaty,  was  freely  acknowl- 
edged and  judicially  determined. 

The  Chief  Justice  said  further: 

"Their  relations  to  the  United  States  resemble  that  of  a 
ward  to  his  guardian.     They  look  to  our  government  for  pro- 

447 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

tection;  rely  upon  its  kindness  and  its  power;  appeal  to  it  for 
relief  to  their  wants;  and  address  the  president  as  their  father." 

In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  recall  that  whatever  resent- 
ments may  have  been  cherished  by  the  whites  towards  the 
Cherokees  or  other  Indian  nations,  none  could  be  cherished 
against  the  Chickasaws. 

They  never  raised  the  hatchet  against  the  English-speaking 
whites,  and  notwithstanding  their  warlike  spirit,  they  never  shed 
the  blood  of  any  man  who  spoke  the  English  language.  On  the 
contrary  they  were  always  their  allies  and  unfailing  friends  in 
war  as  well  as  in  peace. 

When  in  1 832-1 834  the  United  States  forced  the  Chickasaws 
to  agree  to  leave  their  homes  in  north  Mississippi,  in  order  that 
the  whites  might  possess  and  enjoy  the  same,  they  expressed 
their  desire  to  find  another  home  within  the  domains  of  this 
country  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  treaty  then  reads: 

"Should  they  (the  Chickasaws)  do  so,  the  government  of 
the  United  States  hereby  consents  to  protect  and  defend  them 
against  the  inroads  of  any  other  tribe  of  Indians,  and  from  the 
whites;  and  agree  to  keep  them  without  the  limits  of  any  state 
or  territory." 

The  meaning  of  this  language  is  plain  and  unmistakable, 
and  in  substance  is  the  same  as  that  used  in  similar  treaties 
with  other  Indian  nations  when  they  were  removed  from  their 
ancient  homes  east  of  the  Mississippi  to  give  room  for  the  whites. 

The  Supreme  Court  based  its  decision  upholding  the  power 
or  authority  of  Congress  by  statute,  at  will,  to  override  solemn 
treaties  with  the  Indians,  upon  the  broad  proposition  that  a 
treaty  between  nations  rests  alone  upon  the  good  faith  of  the 
respective  nations,  and  that  for  a  breach  the  final  and  only 
recourse  is  a  declaration  of  war  by  the  aggrieved  nation.  This  is 
sound  law  and  good  logic  where  the  contracting  parties  are 
foreign  states,  the  one  toward  the  other;  but  is  it  applicable 

448 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

where  the  Indian  nation  is  declared  to  be  not  a  foreign  nation, 
and,  moreover,  where  the  relation  of  the  United  States  towards 
the  Indians  is  declared  to  be  that  of  a  guardian  towards  his 
ward? 

I  insist  that  there  is  neither  in  law  or  in  morals  any  legal 
analogy  between  the  two  cases.  In  their  weakened  and  helpless 
condition  at  the  times  the  later  decisions  were  made,  the  idea  of 
the  Indians  declaring  war  against  the  United  States  all  know 
would  have  been  the  height  of  folly,  and  the  court  never  intimated 
that  such  a  thing  was  to  be  thought  of  or  was  in  the  contemplation 
of  either  party  to  the  Indian  treaties. 

Again,  as  the  United  States  was  the  guardian  of  the  Chicka- 
saws,  how  could  the  guardian,  consistently  with  any  acknowl- 
edged principles  of  law  or  justice,  ruthlessly  and  against  the  will 
and  over  the  protest  of  its  ward  violate  the  terms  of  its  solemn 
treaty,  and  in  effect  turn  its  ward  out  of  house  and  home,  which 
it  had  purchased  from  the  Choctaws  by  and  with  the  consent  of 
the  guardian? 

To  tolerate  such  conduct  would  be  to  justify  the  acts  of  a 
guardian  who  would  fashion  the  shield  designed  to  protect  the 
ward  into  a  sword  for  the  purpose  therewith  to  thrust  it  into 
the  vitals  of  the  ward. 

Nor  am  I  alone  in  this  opinion. 

It  will  be  found  that  in  the  Lone  Wolf  and  other  cases,  the 
Supreme  Court  refers,  as  an  authority,  to  the  earlier  case  of 
Cherokee  Tobacco  vs.  United  States,  n  Wallace  616,  20  L.  Ed.  227, 
the  opinion  of  the  court  being  delivered  by  Judge  Swayne  in  1870. 

There  appeared  for  the  Indians  such  distinguished  counsel 
as  Albert  Pike,  A.  H.  Garland,  Benj.  F.  Butler,  Robert  W. 
Johnson,  and  Elias  C.  Boudinot;  and  speaking  of  them  Judge 
Swayne  said:  "The  views  of  counsel  in  this  court  have  rarely 
been  more  elaborately  presented";  reminding  us  of  the  efforts 
of  that  great  lawyer,  William  Wirt,  thirty-eight  years  prior 
thereto,  in  defense  of  the  rights  of  the  same  nation  before  the 
same  court,  but  all  in  vain. 

449 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  this  tobacco  case  a  tax  had  been  levied  on  Cherokee 
tobacco,  in  acknowledged  violation  of  a  solemn  treaty  with  that 
nation;  but  the  validity  of  the  tax  was  upheld,  the  Cherokee 
treaty  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

That  great  lawyer,  Judge  Bradley,  with  whom  concurred 
Judge  Davis, dissented  ;and  among  other  things  JudgeBradley  said: 

"The  case  before  us  is,  besides,  a  peculiar  one.  The  exempt 
jurisdiction  here  depends  on  a  solemn  treaty  entered  into  between 
the  United  States  government  and  the  Cherokee  nation,  in 
which  the  good  faith  of  the  government  is  involved,  and  not  on 
a  mere  municipal  law." 

This  excerpt  contains  the  germ  of  the  principle  of  law  for 
which  I  contend.  The  court  had  declared  over  and  over  again 
that  the  government  bore  a  fiduciary  or  trust  relation  towards 
the  Indians,  and  that  its  treaties  with  them  were  unlike  treaties 
with  a  foreign  power,  were  sui  generis,  and  the  engagements  of 
the  government  therein  must  be  sacredly  kept. 

It  has  likewise  been  declared  by  that  court  that,  where 
private  rights  are  secured  or  protected  under  an  ordinary  treaty, 
the  courts  have  jurisdiction  to  enforce  such  rights  at  the  suit  of 
the  injured  party.  (Head  Money  cases  112  U.  S.  580,  598,  28 
L.  Ed.  798;  quoted  in  re  Cooper  143  U.  S.  472,  36  L.  Ed.  232.) 

Then  why  should  not  the  United  States  courts  have  pro- 
tected the  peculiar  rights  of  the  Indians  under  its  treaties? 

In  the  Forum  of  Conscience- 
Can  the  violation  of  Indian  treaties  be  defended  in  the 

forum  of  conscience?  I  think  not. 

The  German  emperor,  William  II,  is  quoted  as  having  said 

in  1900,  "If  one  wishes  to  decide  something  in  this  world,  it  is 

not  the  pen  alone  that  will  do  it,  if  unsupported  by  the  power  of 

the  sword." 

When  early  in  August,  1914,  the  British  Ambassador,  Sir 

Edward    Goschen,    called    upon    Von    Bethmann-Hollweg,    the 

450 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Imperial  German  Chancellor,  to  take  his  final  leave,  stating  as 
his  reason  the  declaration  of  war  by  England  against  the  German 
empire,  the  German  chancellor  expressed  his  great  surprise  that 
England  should  declare  war  for  a  "scrap  of  paper."  The  "scrap 
of  paper"  referred  to  was  the  treaty  of  1839,  in  which  the  British 
had  guaranteed  the  integrity  of  Belgium,  and  reaffirmed  it  in 
1870,  the  German  government  being  a  party  to  the  treaty. 
This  deliberate  violation  of  the  terms  of  a  treaty  not  only  brought 
the  British  empire  into  the  world-wide  war  against  Germany, 
but  so  shocked  the  conscience  of  mankind  that  eventually  the 
United  States  was  drawn  into  the  conflict,  and  in  addition  it 
arrayed  nearly  every  civilized  nation  against  Germany;  so  that 
the  phrase,  "a  scrap  of  paper,"  has  become  current  as  words  of 
reproach,  representing  the  entire  faithlessness  of  the  German 
empire. 

As  a  result  of  the  Germanic  view-point  that  a  treaty  is  but 
"a  scrap  of  paper,"  ten  millions  of  men  perished  upon  the  field 
of  battle,  while  twenty  other  millions  of  men  were  made  lame 
and  halt,  or  otherwise  disabled,  and  millions  of  still  other  men, 
women,  and  children  have  suffered  worse  than  death,  and  civili- 
zation itself  was  almost  upon  the  brink  of  destruction.  In  the 
meantime  the  German  empire,  at  least  for  the  time  being,  has 
perished,  its  people  are  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  and  the  German 
emperor  who  inspired  the  thought  of  treating  a  solemn  treaty 
"as  a  scrap  of  paper,"  is  a  fugitive  from  justice,  and  the  subject 
of  the  execrations  of  all  mankind. 


Were  not  the  treaties  of  the  United  States  with  the  Indians, 
if  anything  more  sacred  than  the  treaty  of  England  and  Germany 
guaranteeing  the  integrity  of  Belgian  soil? 


Private  enterprise  raised  large  sums  of  money  to  quicken  the 
public  conscience,  and  thus  aroused   Congress  to  make  large 


451 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

appropriations  to  create  a  public  reserve  or  park  named  Sequoia, 
after  the  great  Indian  Sequoyah;  so  that  posterity  might  enjoy 
the  pleasure  of  looking  upon  the  largest  and  tallest  trees  upon  the 
globe;  and  likewise  public  enterprise  and  governmental  appro- 
priations have  joined  in  the  good  work  of  saving  from  destruction 
the  remnant  of  the  vast  and  countless  millions  of  bisons  or 
buffaloes,  which  once  roamed  over  North  America,  so  that  these 
distinctive  American  animals  might  not  perish  from  the  face  of 
the  earth. 

If  the  mere  insensate  trees  and  the  brutes  of  the  earth  are 
worth  so  much  for  preservation,  are  not  the  red  men,  possessing 
some  of  the  finest  characteristics  which  ennoble  human  nature, 
the  free,  wild  children  of  Nature,  worthy  of  our  greatest  solicitude, 
and  worthy  of  preservation  as  we  found  them,  and  as  our  Father 
in  heaven  fashioned  their  minds  and  bodies? 

I  think  so;  nay,  I  know  it. 

I  believe  that  the  Albert  Pike  treaty,  of  all  those  written, 
represents  the  best  thought  and  philosophy  upon  which  our 
treatment  of  the  Indians  should  have  been  grounded.  Briefly 
stated,  it  provided  that  the  country  of  the  Choctaws  and  Chicka- 
saws  was  to  be  held  by  them  in  fee  simple  (not  a  mere  occupancy 
right),  and  that  this  was  to  continue  "so  long  as  grass  shall 
grow  and  water  run";  that  no  state  or  territory  should  ever 
pass  laws  for  the  government  of  the  Indians;  that  no  part  of 
their  country  should  ever  be  annexed  to  any  other  territory  or 
province;  nor  should  any  attempt  be  made,  except  upon  their 
unsolicited  application,  to  erect  their  country  by  itself  into  a 
state  or  territory;  that  they  should  jointly  be  entitled  to  a  delegate 
to  represent  them  in  Congress;  that  if  afterwards  they  desired 
their  country  and  people  to  be  admitted  into  the  Union,  as  a 
separate  state,  they  should  be  allowed  so  to  do,  without  regard 
to  population,  upon  equal  terms  in  all  respects  as  one  of  the 
original  states. 

These  were  the  terms  for  which  the  Indians  had  struggled 
from  the  beginning,  and  such  as  they  were  entitled  to,  and  it 

452 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

furnished  a  road  of  honor  that  both  races  could  have  traveled 
and  which  the  whites  should  have  forced  its  own  people  to 
pursue. 

I  believe  that  Helen  Hunt  Jackson  in  telling  the  story  of 
the  Indians  as  treated  by  the  United  States  government,  well 
and  truly  called  her  book  A  Century  of  Dishonor.  I  note  that 
Mr.   Leupp   (p.  82)  says 

"that  what  has  been  so  sweepingly  denounced  as  a  'cen- 
tury of  dishonor'  might  better  be  described,  as  far  as  the  govern- 
ment's operations  are  concerned,  as  an  era  of  mutual  misunder- 
standing." 

It  is  noticeable  that  the  "  mutual  misunderstandings"  are 
not  pointed  out  by  Mr.  Leupp.  The  Indians  always  knew  what 
they  wanted ;  that  is  to  be  let  alone ;  this  the  whites  equally  well 
understood  and  which  they  as  deliberately  denied.  How  helpless 
the  Indians  were  in  this  respect  Mr.  Leupp  himself  demonstrates, 
in  telling  in  what  respects  he  endeavored  to  ameliorate  their 
conditions ;  and  among  other  things  he  attempted  to  turn  a  large 
surplus  of  Crow  country  into  a  horse  farm,  as  the  tribe  was 
noted  for  its  horsemanship;  but  he  tells  us  (pp.  91,  92)  the  plan 
"died  of  inanition  so  uniformly  fatal  to  Indian  enterprises  which 
have  not  a  big  profit  for  some  white  man  directly  behind  them." 

This  is  the  whole  story  in  a  nutshell. 

Not  only  indifference  on  the  part  of  the  whites  but  a  reckless 
disregard  of  the  known  and  acknowledged  rights  of  the  Five 
Civilized  Tribes  of  Indians  has  led  to  their  present  unfortunate 
condition. 

If  Mr.  Leupp,  with  all  of  his  natural  ability  and  accom- 
plishments, joined  with  that  prestige  which  was  his  as  the  oc- 
cupant of  a  high  governmental  office  in  the  Indian  service,  could 
not  secure  the  passage  of  a  comparatively  small  piece  of  remedial 
legislation  for  the  Indians,  what  chance  did  or  does  the  friendless 
Indian  stand  to  secure  legislation,  however  just,  where  white 
men  have  opposing  claims,  or  suppose  such  legislation  will 
infringe  on  their  designs? 

453 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

And  the  Supreme  Court  says  that  the  halls  of  Congress 
furnish  the  last  and  only  refuge  of  the  Indians  for  that  justice  so 
long  denied  them!    Will  a  brighter  day  dawn  for  the  Indians? 


454 


DOUGLASS  H.  JOHNSTON 

The   last    governor    elected    by    the    Chickasaw    nation    and    still 
in  office  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  Chickasaws. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  CHICKASAWS  IN  THE  TWENTIETH  CENTURY 

Having  traced  the  story  of  the  Chickasaws,  as  the  light  of 
history  has  fallen  upon  them,  since  De  Soto  marched  his  army 
into  their  country  on  December  17,  1540,  now  nearly  four 
hundred  years  ago,  we  are  to  close  this  short  sketch  of  them  in  an 
endeavor  to  acquaint  the  reader  in  a  short  space  how  they  appear 
in  the  white  light  of  the  twentieth  century.  This  is  not  an  easy 
task. 

That  the  Indian  has  a  distinctive  individuality  all  his  own, 
and  worthy  of  preservation  as  a  national  asset,  is  convincingly 
shown  by  the  fact  that  he  is  here  today,  notwithstanding  his 
conquest  and  the  hardships  of  war,  pestilence,  and  famine  which 
he  has  endured  for  generations. 

He  has  shown  his  fortitude,  stoicism,  and  steadfastness  of 
character;  he  has  demonstrated  his  love  of  freedom,  in  proof  of 
which  he  has  shown  his  contempt  of  death ;  and  he  has  also  shown 
his  contempt  of  the  petty  worries  and  burdens  of  life,  which 
caused  in  1920  over  six  thousand  whites  in  this  country  to  commit 
suicide,  or  more  suicides  than  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in 
the  Chickasaw  nation,  while  countless  other  whites  have  suf- 
fered nervous  breakdowns;  and  amid  all  of  the  changes  through 
which  he  has  been  called  upon  to  pass,  so  repugnant  to  his  nature 
and  temperament,  the  Indian  has  emerged  with  a  keenness  of 
observation  that  should  excite  our  admiration. 

He  needs  no  apologist. 

And,  moreover,  the  North  American  Indian  has  left  the 
indelible  impress  of  the  nobility  of  his  character  upon  the  people 
who  succeeded  him  in  the  possession  of  this  continent. 

It  would  be  strange  if  it,  were  otherwise. 

455 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Before  bidding  a  final  adieu  to  the  ancient  Chickasaw  nation, 
whose  prowess  so  successfully  withstood  all  invaders  of  their 
vast  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi  for  so  many  generations,  I 
will  pause  to  record  a  short  sketch  of  the  Chickasaw  Guards,  a 
famous  military  company  of  Memphis,  named  in  honor  of  the 
intrepid  Chickasaw  nation,  whose  chief  entrepot  was  where 
Memphis  now  is. 

The  Chickasaw  Guards— 

Consciously  or  unconsciously,  when  the  Chickasaws  were 
forced  to  leave  in  1836  the  last  remnant  of  that  great  domain 
over  which  for  centuries  they  had  by  their  prowess  remained  the 
undisputed  overlords,  they  left  upon  the  white  men  who  succeed- 
ed them  the  imperishable  impress  of  their  martial  spirit — a 
monument  to  their  valor  more  lasting  than  stone  and  more 
enduring  than  brass. 

An  account  of  the  valor  and  martial  spirit  of  their  white 
successors  in  the  various  subsequent  wars  lies  outside  the  scope  of 
this  sketch;  but  at  the  risk  of  being  charged  with  a  digression,  I 
will  here  give  a  short  account  of  the  Chickasaw  Guards,  worthy 
successors  to  the  Chickasaw  warriors  of  the  most  ancient 
times. 

For  the  facts  connected  with  this  story  in  detail  I  am  in- 
debted to  General  Arthur  R.  Taylor,  a  life-long  friend,  who  in 
1 901  prepared  for  his  own  library  a  manuscript  ''History  of  the 
Chickasaw  Guards,"  which  I  regret  to  say  has  never  been  printed, 
and  which  should  find  a  place  in  our  libraries,  thereby  filling  an 
important  place  in  local  history. 

As  late  as  1874  remnants  of  Carpet  Bag  Misrule  were  still 
in  evidence  in  the  South,  especially  in  those  parts  of  Mississippi 
and  Arkansas  contingent  to  Memphis.  There  had  been  out- 
breaks, which  created  an  uneasy  feeling,  and  apprehensions  were 
expressed  of  more  violent  public  disorders,  and  the  means  to 
check  or  ward  off  future  conflicts,  restore  confidence  in  the  en- 
forcement of  law  and  order,  and  safeguard  the  welfare  of  all 

456 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

concerned,  became  a  matter  of  the  most  serious  discussion  in 
private  meetings  as  well  as  in  the  public  press. 

In  June,  1874,  W.  P.  Martin,  a  deputy  sheriff,  in  waiting  on 
the  Criminal  Court,  invited  some  friends  to  a  meeting  in  the 
Criminal  Court  room,  which  at  that  time  was  at  the  corner  of 
Second  Street  and  Jefferson  Avenue,  and  out  of  this  meeting 
there  grew  up  the  most  famous  military  company  in  times  of 
peace,  whose  members  distinguished  themselves  in  times  of  war, 
known  to  the  annals  of  this  part  of  the  country. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  the  company  was  organized. 

This  meeting  occurred  on  June  30,  and  sixty-five  names  were 
enrolled.  R.  P.  Duncan,  who  had  served  in  the  Virginia  army 
as  a  staff  officer,  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  General  G.  W- 
Gordon,  who,  as  a  commander  of  a  Tennessee  brigade,  had  won 
fame  under  Johnston  and  Hood  in  the  western  army,  were 
placed  in  nomination  for  the  office  of  captain. 

The  two  candidates  were  law  partners.  Major  Duncan  was 
present,  and  on  being  elected  made  a  neat  speech,  accepting  the 
office. 

W.  P.  Martin,  in  compliment  to  his  exertions  in  organizing 
the  company,  was  made  first  lieutenant.  James  R.  Wright,  who 
under  that  great  soldier,  Robert  E.  Lee,  had  served  the  Confed- 
eracy as  sergeant  in  the  Norfolk  Blues  through  the  entire  war, 
was  made  second  lieutenant;  P.  A.  Ralston,  third  lieutenant. 

The  election  of  non-commissioned  officers  resulted  in  the 
following  selections  : 

L.  W.  Mix First  Sergeant 

Richard  Wright  (that  matchless  soldier, 
perfect    gentleman,    and    devoted 

friend  to  all) Second  Sergeant 

Robert  D.  Speed Third  Sergeant 

C.  L.  McKinney Fourth  Sergeant 

C.  M.  Bowen Fifth  Sergeant 

A.  A.  Smithwick First  Corporal 

457 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

J.  A.  Wooldridge Second  Corporal 

N.  B.  Camp Third  Corporal 

W.  A.  Sneed Fourth  Corporal 

All  of  the  above  were  elected  by  written  ballot.  Of  the 
commissioned  officers,  Duncan,  Wright,  and  Ralston  were 
present.  Sam  T.  Carnes,  who  was  absent  (having  been  called  to 
New  York  that  day),  was  defeated  for  ensign  by  John  H.  Poston, 
the  majority  thinking  Carnes  too  small  a  man  to  be  trusted  with 
the  company  flag.  At  that  time  the  ensign  was  also  the  secre- 
tary and  treasurer  of  the  company.  Lieutenant  Ralston,  who 
with  two  others  had  been  appointed  to  select  a  suitable  name  for 
the  company,  submitted  two  names,  viz:  'The  Bluff  City 
Rifles,"  and  'The  Chickasaw  Guards."  The  vote  having  been 
taken,  "Chickasaw  Guards"  was  chosen. 

Eighteen  prospective  members  whose  names  were  on  the 
list  never  appeared,  and  the  following  is  a  list  of  the  privates, 
many  of  whom  were  promoted  from  time  to  time,  holding  the 
highest  ranks  in  the  military  organizations  of  the  state. 

Privates 


Agee,  G.  W. 
Armstead,  R.  A. 

Bectal,  George 
Bettis,  R.  C. 
Bragg,  F.  S. 
Buchanan,  E.  C. 

Carnes,  S.  T. 
Cole,  C.  M. 
Crook,  George 

Frierson,  Frank 
Frierson,  L.  S. 

Gordon,  G.  W. 


Harris,  R.  W. 

Kelso,  Hal. 

Martin,  Branch 
McDowell,  S.  I. 
McNutt,  W.  C. 
Moon,  W.  D. 

Park,  Frank 
Penn,  Lytt. 
Pillow,  R.  G. 
Proudfit,  A.  H. 

Semmes,  J.  M. 
Semmes,  R. 


458 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Smith,  B.  Voorhies,  C.  J. 

Smith,  Wash.  G. 

Williams,  Mc. 
Taylor,  A.  R.  Wooldridge,  B.  L. 

Wright,  C.  P. 
Viglina,  P.  A.  Wright,  T.  A. 

In  due  course  there  came  up  for  discussion  the  kind,  and 
especially  the  color,  of  the  uniforms  to  be  adopted  by  the  com- 
pany, which  called  forth  much  fervid  oratory.  The  late  much 
respected  G.  W.  Agee  made  an  impressive  speech,  and  concluded 
by  saying, 

"That  for  this  body  to  adopt  the  blue  would  be  a  disgrace 
to  the  bleaching  bones  of  the  historic  dead  now  lying  on  the 
battlefield  of  Shiloh." 

Notwithstanding  this  eloquent  and  earnest  appeal,  those 
present  voted  to  adopt  the  blue  color,  thus  showing  that  a  spirit 
of  conservatism  brooked  over  the  members  of  the  company. 

Nor  was  the  company  organized  too  early,  for  thirty-eight 
days  after  its  organization,  or  on  August  7,  1874,  it  was  ordered 
to  Somerville,  Tennessee,  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Fayette,  to 
put  down  what  was  supposed  to  be  an  impending  riot  or  outbreak ; 
but  the  very  presence  of  the  company,  under  arms,  calmed  the 
excited  populace,  and  no  further  disorder  occurred. 

The  trouble  originated  in  an  altercation  between  a  Mr. 
Herndon  and  a  radical  negro  leader  by  the  name  of  Warre.  The 
brave,  though  reckless  Oscar  Burton,  came  to  the  assistance  of 
his  friend  Herndon,  and  managed  to  get  in  the  first  shot,  wounding 
Warre,  who  fled  the  country  and  escaped.  The  Rives  brothers, 
the  three  principal  Carpet  Bag  office  holders  in  that  county, 
came  to  the  rescue  of  Warre,  and  attempted  to  arrest  Burton, 
and  though  Burton  was  shot  in  thirteen  different  places,  he  sur- 
vived the  conflict,  and  succeeded  in  killing  all  three  of  the  Rives 
brothers. 

459 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Competitive  Drills— 

The  company  grew  in  strength  in  the  public  esteem  and, 
as  the  company  vainly  supposed,  in  drilling  and  tactics;  never- 
theless, there  is  no  teacher  like  experience,  as  the  company  sadly 
learned  in  answering  the  challenge  of  the  Porter  Rifles  and  other 
military  companies  to  undergo  a  competitive  drilling  at  Nashville 
on  June  21,  1876,  whereat  the  Porter  Rifles  were  easy  winners 
over  the  Chickasaw  Guards,  who  returned  to  Memphis  wiser 
though  sadder  men. 

I  believe  it  was  Wendell  Phillips  who  said,  "What  is  defeat? 
Nothing  but  education ;  nothing  but  the  first  step  to  something 
better";  and  this  was  the  meaning  of  the  Nashville  defeat  to  the 
Chickasaws;  for  on  October  24,  1876,  in  answer  to  another 
challenge,  the  Porter  Rifles  met  defeat  at  the  hands  of  the 
Chickasaws,  who  then  entered  on  a  series  of  triumphal  conquests 
all  over  the  country. 

During  the  yellow  fever  epidemics  at  Memphis  in  1878  and 
1879,  the  Chickasaw  Guards  planned  and  carried  out  the  most 
successful  military  tours  known  to  America  up  to  that  time, 
visiting  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  Chicago,  Illinois,  Indianapolis, 
Indiana,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  other  cities,  where  they  gave  exhibition 
drills  for  the  benefit  of  the  yellow  fever  sufferers,  winning  for  the 
company  a  nation-wide  reputation  for  the  best  drilled  company 
in  the  country,  and  carrying  off  countless  honors. 

From  this  list  the  drill  teams  of  1878,  1879, 1880,  and  1882 
were  made  up  and  are  known  as  the  Old  Chickasaws.  General 
Taylor  furnished  me  with  this  list. 

The  Chickasaw  Drill  Team 

S.  T.  Carnes,  Capt.  Richard  Wright,  1st  Sgt. 

N.  B.  Camp,  1st  Lieut.  Chas.  E.  Waldran,  2nd  Sgt. 

T.  A.  Lamb,  2nd  Lieut.  A.  R.  Taylor,  3rd  Sgt. 

Harry  Allen,  3rd  Lieut.  R.  W.  Harris,  4th  Sgt. 

W.  L.  Clapp,  4th  Lieut.  Sam  A.  Pepper,  5th  Sgt. 

460 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 


Walter  W.  Talbert, 

1st  Corp. 
Sam  J.  Hayes,  2nd  Corp. 


John  C.  Henderson, 

3rd  Corp. 
A.  H.  Proudfit,  4th  Corp. 


Privates 


Allen,  Richard  H. 
Allen,  Tom  H. 
Anderson,  Kellar 
Asher,  Allen 

Bailey,  H.  W. 
Bradley,  J.  M. 

Chappell,  Lamar 
Chidester,  W.  C. 
Chiles,  Hayes 
Clapp,  J.  W. 
Cooper,  Robert  T. 
Crews,  Frank 
Crook,  Geo.  W. 

Donelson,  L.  R. 
Duval,  A.  L. 

Edmonds,  J.  Howard 

Guion,  H.  L. 

Harris,  Chas.  Q. 
Hessig,  Fred. 
Houchens,  J.  B. 
Hunter,  Harry  A. 

Johnson,  Tom  F. 
Johnson,  Walter  M. 


Jones,  James  B. 
Jones,  W.  A.  (Sergeant) 
Joseph,  C.  A. 

Kirkland,  James 

McNutt,  W.  C. 

Parrish,  H.  J. 
Peters,  I.  F. 
Phillips,  Sam  H. 
Proudfit,  James  P. 

Raines,  Hunter 

Sannoner,  J.  A. 
Semmes,  Raphael 
Smith,  Preston 
Sneed,  W.  A. 
Speed,  John  S. 
Steel,  W.  J. 

Tyler,  Jno.  W. 

Waldran,  John  D. 
Warner,  William 
White,  Tom  W. 
Wildberger,  W.  P. 

(Sergeant) 
Wright,  L.  B. 
Wright,  Tom  A. 


Chickasaw  Guards  In  World-Wide  War- 
Further  discussion  along  these  lines  would  lead  to  unneces- 
sary details.     Suffice  it  to  say  that  what  are  now  called  the  Old 


461 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Chickasaws  had  on  their  list  a  son  of  Admiral  Raphael  Semmes, 
sons  of  President  Jefferson  Davis,  General  Preston  Smith,  and 
General  Gideon  Pillow;  and  the  company  was  at  one  time  com- 
manded by  General  George  W.  Gordon,  one  of  the  youngest 
Confederate  brigadier-generals,  who  at  his  death  was  a  member 
of  the  United  States  Congress  from  the  Memphis  District. 

Another  member,  W.  L.  Clapp,  was  afterwards  one  of  the 
best  mayors  Memphis  ever  had;  and  in  addition  the  company 
furnished  the  only  two  brigadier-generals  commanding  the 
National  Guards  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  late  world-wide  war, 
viz:  Brigadier-General  Samuel  T.  Carnes  and  Brigadier- 
General  Arthur  R.  Taylor,  both  of  whom  survive,  enjoying  the 
unbounded  respect  and  confidence  of  their  fellow-citizens. 
Isaac  F.  Peters,  now  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  afterwards  be- 
came Colonel  Peters. 

General  Taylor  has  given  certain  descriptive  names  to  the 
company,  according  to  given  epochs  in  which  the  various  mem- 
bers served. 

Thus,  the  company  from  its  organization  in  June,  1874,  to 
1885  is  designated  the  "Old  Chicks";  and  the  company  then 
being  turned  over  to  younger  men,  he  designated  them  as  "Inter- 
mediate Chicks";  while  in  1891  another  set  of  new  men  took 
charge,  called  the  "New  Chicks,"  and  rendered  signal  services  to 
the  state  in  1 891 -1892  in  what  was  then  called  the  Coal  Creek 
war,  an  uprising  in  the  coal  fields  in  east  Tennessee,  the  company 
being  under  the  command  of  Captain  Harry  Allen  in  1891  and 
Captain  Wm.  H.  Kyle  in  1892. 

The  "New  Chicks,"  under  Captain  Wm.  H.  Kyle,  now 
Major  Kyle,  U.  S.  A.,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  spent  nine  months  on 
the  Mexican  border,  and  afterwards  entered  the  world-wide  war ; 
and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  ninety  per  cent  of  them  were 
made  commissioned  officers,  and  by  their  deeds  of  daring  on  the 
fields  of  France  and  Flanders  added  new  luster  to  the  name  of  the 
famous  Chickasaw  Guards,  worthily  bearing  the  name  of  the 
Chickasaws  who,  by  their  intrepidity  and  unconquerable  spirit 

462 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  prowess,  so  greatly  contributed  to  make  it  possible  for  the 
English-speaking  people  to  possess  and  rule  the  continent  of 
North  America. 

I  am  indebted  to  Captain  Walter  C.  Chandler,  now  State 
Senator,  Major  William  H.  Kyle,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
Captain  Joe  R.  T.  Ransom,  all  of  whom  were  members  of  the 
Chickasaw  Guards  and  served  with  distinction  in  the  world-wide 
war,  for  a  roster  of  the  Chickasaw  Guards,  rank  and  file,  as  of  the 
beginning  of  the  great  war.  Alphabetically  arranged  that  roll 
is  as  follows : 


Lieut.  Marshall  C.  Adams 
Pvt.  James  Alexander 
Lieut.  Henry  G.  Armstrong 

Lieut.   Robert  W.  Bailey, 

Jr. 
Lieut.  C.  Grovenor  Beard 
Sgt.  Arthur  M.  Bowen,  Jr. 
Lieut.  Frank  S.  Bright 
Lieut.  Jos.  W.  Bruce 
Capt.   Hugh   E.   Bucking- 
ham 

Capt.  Eugene  Calahan 
Lieut.  Albert  A.  Campbell 
Lieut.  Alfred  B.  Carter,  Jr. 
Lieut.  Thomas  W.  Carter 
Lieut.   Charles  H.  Cham- 

berlin 
Major  Reed  M.  Chambers 
Capt.  Hugh  C.  Chandler 
Capt.  Walter  C.  Chandler 
Capt.  William  H.  Chand- 
ler, Jr. 
Lieut.  John  Clough 
Capt.  Charles  E.  Craddock 
Lieut.  Thomas  K.  Creson 
Lieut.  Earl  Culpepper 


Sgt.  Elgin  H.  Curry 

Sgt.  Jas.  S.  Davant,  Jr. 
Pvt.  George  Dixon 
Capt.  Andrew  J.  Donelson 
Capt.  Frank  T.  Donelson 
Lieut.  Frank  M.  Dooley 
Sgt.  Richard  R.  Douglass, 

Jr. 
Capt.  James  S.  Driver,  Jr. 
Lieut.  Thomas  W.  Deupree 

Major  Enoch  Ensley 

Capt.  Leonard  E.  Farley 
Pvt.  George  H.  Fox 
Lieut.  George  S.  Fox 
Lieut.  William  E.  Franklin 

Major  Will  Ganong 
Capt.  Frank  D.  Grantham 
Lieut.  George  Gunby 
Corp.  Marco  C.  Gunn 
Lieut.  Julius  Gunther 

Sgt.  Joseph  Gregory  Hays 
Capt.  Robert  G.  Heard 
Bugler  Ferdinand  Heckle 


463 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 


Lieut.  Hugh  M.  Heiskell 
Sgt.  Jesse  Hunt 
Cook  Robert  B.  Hunt 
Pvt.  Mann  Hunter 

Lieut.  Will  Johnston 
Sgt.  Harry  M.  Joy 
Capt.  William  M.  Joy 
Capt.  Guy  E.  Joyner 

Major  Milton  Knowlton 
Capt.  William  H.  Kyle 

Lieut.  Frank  S.  Latham 
Corp.  Henry  M.  LeBos- 
quett 

Lieut.  Joseph  Duncan  Mal- 

lory 
Lieut.  Harold  G.  Mattison 
Major  Silas  McBee,  Jr. 
Lieut.   William   P.   Mc- 
Donald 
Capt.  Max  McKay 
Lieut.  Albert  Miltimore 
Lieut.  Eugene  C.  Mitchell 
Sgt.  George  D.  Mitchell 
Pvt.  George  Moriarty 

Major  Waddy  W.  Oursler 

Pvt.  Lucius  Patton 
Corp.  Sam  Pepper,  Jr. 
Capt.  Julian  Phelan 
Lieut.  John  Postell 


Lieut.  Lucas  Proudfit 

Capt.  Ira  A.  Ramsey 
Capt.  Joe  R.  T.  Ransom 
Pvt.  Oswald  P.  Ransom 
Lieut.  Paul  Ravises 
Lieut.  George  Read,  Jr. 
Sgt.  Leon  Reed 
Capt.  James  D.  Rhea 
Capt.  Jules  B.  Rozier,  Jr. 

Mechanic  John  Sadler 
Lieut.  Edward  Sanford 
Capt.  William  A.  Schmitt 
Capt.  William  P.  Scoby 
Capt.  James  C.  Scrubbs 
Sgt.  Douglass  Shepherd 
Pvt.  Percy  Sholars 
Lieut.  Russell  B.  Simmons 
Lieut.  Harry  Smith 
Capt.  William  M.  Stanton 

Lieut.  Thomas  S.  Tate 
Corp.  George  E.  Tatum 
Lieut.  Herbert  Taylor 
Sgt.  Wallace  C.  Thompson 

Lieut.  Leslie  Walden 
Sgt.  Herman  Ward 
Lieut.  Allen  Wardle 
Lieut.  William  T.  Watson 
Lieut.  Richard  Welsh 
Lieut.    Robert   Wilkinson, 

Lieut.  Auvergne  Williams 
Sgt.  Paul  S.  Wolf 


It  is  thought  that  this  furnishes  a  remarkable  showing,  in 
that  ninety  per  cent  of  the  company  were  either  commissioned 
or  non-commissioned  officers  in  the  greatest  of  all  wars.  From 
an  examination  of  the  roll  it  will  be  seen  that  there  were  six 


464 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

majors,  twenty-five  captains,  forty-two  lieutenants,  twelve 
sergeants,  five  corporals,  eight  privates,  one  bugler,  one  mechanic, 
and  one  cook,  making  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  one  for  the 
entire  company. 

In  referring  to  the  fact  that  so  many  of  the  company  filled 
offices,  I  would  not  have  it  understood  that  I  depreciate  the 
great  service  and  the  just  meed  of  praise  due  to  the  privates  in 
the  ranks,  who,  daring  all  dangers,  regardless  of  what  they 
wore,  with  no  golden  collar,  epaulette,  or  star,  offered  all  they 
had,  placed  life  itself  upon  the  altar  of  their  country,  strong  of 
arm  and  stern  of  heart. 

It  has  happened  that  some  of  the  ablest  men  remained 
privates  in  great  wars;  thus  Private  John  Allen  of  Lee  County, 
Mississippi,  in  which  the  Chickasaws  once  lived,  and  where  they 
fought  and  won  the  battle  of  Ackia,  was  a  private  throughout 
the  civil  war,  and  for  years  afterwards  was  a  distinguished  con- 
gressman; the  late  United  States  Senator  Thomas  B.  Turley 
and  our  fellow-citizen  West  J.  Crawford,  so  long  president  of 
the  Commercial  Appeal  Publishing  Co.,  both  served  as  privates 
in  the  ranks  of  the  soldiers  of  the  South,  and  were  honored  by 
the  people  of  Memphis;  and  Sergeant  James  S.  Davant,  Jr. 
whose  name  appears  in  the  foregoing  roster  as  sergeant,  declined 
an  offered  captaincy  in  the  great  war,  preferring  to  remain  with 
the  boys  in  the  ranks. 

When  the  Chickasaw  Guards  returned  from  the  Border  in 
the  spring  of  191 7,  they  were  mustered  out  of  the  federal  service 
but  were  again  called  out  April  13,  191 7,  and  again  were  sent  to 
Nashville  to  rejoin  the  famous  First  Tennessee  Infantry  Regi- 
ment, over  one  hundred  years  old.  While  on  the  Border,  some  of 
them  had  taken  examinations  for  commissions  in  the  Officers' 
Reserve  Corps.  When  the  training  camps  opened  May  15,  1917, 
those  who  had  received  commissions  were  ordered  to  report  to 
Fort  Oglethorpe  and  their  commissions  became  effective.  Many 
others  from  the  company  attended  either  the  first  or  subsequent 
training  camps,  and  received  their  commissions.     Upon  being 

465 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

commissioned  their  connection  with  the  old  company  was  severed, 
and  they  went  to  whatever  organization  they  were  assigned, 
as  in  the  case  of  Joe  R.  T.  Ransom,  who  was  ordered  within  ten 
days  after  reporting  to  Oglethorpe  to  report  to  Governors  Island, 
N.  Y.,  for  foreign  service,  and  when  he  arrived  at  Governors 
Island,  he  was  assigned  to  the  famous  16th  Infantry,  First  Di- 
vision, and  so  sailed  with  the  first  troops  to  go  to  France,  em- 
barking June  9,  and  sailing  June  12,  1917. 

We  shall  see  in  the  fourteenth  or  concluding  chapter  that 
Sergeant  Otis  W.  Leader,  a  Chickasaw  Indian,  likewise  served 
in  the  famous  16th  Regiment,  where  he  won  undying  fame, 
which  we  would  naturally  expect  from  a  descendant  of  the  un- 
conquerable Chickasaws. 

As  showing  that  modesty  usually  accompanies  intrepidity, 
it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  foregoing  list  was  furnished  me  by 
Captain  Joe  R.  T.  Ransom,  from  whom  I  had  several  notes,  and 
we  had  some  interviews,  and  after  all  of  these,  I  learned  to  my 
astonishment,  in  a  casual  conversation  with  Captain  A.  J. 
Donelson,  that  Captain  Ransom  was  decorated  with  the  French 
croix  de  guerre  (with  palm)  for  bravery  in  action  during  the 
Franco-American  offensive  near  Soissons,  July  18-23,  1918. 


In  the  manner  indicated  above  officers  from  the  ranks  of 
the  Chickasaw  Guards  were  scattered  in  almost  every  division 
and  branch  of  the  service. 

Several  members  of  the  Chickasaw  Guards  were  wounded, 
but  I  regret  I  could  not  procure  a  complete  list  of  these.  Five 
of  them  made  the  supreme  sacrifice  while  serving  their  country 
abroad,  as  follows: 

Sergeant  Jesse  Hunt,  with  a  machine  gun  batallion,  was 
killed  in  action  at  Soissons,  France,  September  23,  1918. 

Lieutenant  Frank  S.  Latham,  in  the  aviation  service,  was 
accidentally  killed  in  the  training  area  at  Issouden,  France,  on 
August  21,  1918. 

466 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Lieutenant  Henry  Guion  Armstrong,  in  the  aviation  service, 
was  killed  while  flying  over  No  Man's  Land  by  a  stray  shot  from 
our  own  artillery,  in  the  Argonne  Forest,  near  Verdun,  France, 
on  October  4,  191 8. 

Lieutenant  Herbert  Taylor,  serving  in  the  infantry,  was 
wounded  in  action  at  Chateau  Thierry,  July  24,  191 8,  and  soon 
died  of  his  wounds. 

First  Lieutenant  Thomas  S.  Tate,  of  the  81st  Division  In- 
fantry, was  killed  in  action  November  9,  191 8,  only  two  days 
before  the  armistice,  in  the  Woevre  Valley  near  Grimecourt. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
Lieutenant  H.  Allen  Wardle  enlisted  in  the  aviation  service  at 
Memphis  in  April,  191 7,  and  after  training  both  in  this  country 
and  France,  he  was  Ferry  Pilot  at  Orly  Field,  Paris,  from  March 
to  June,  1 91 8;  was  shot  down  and  captured  by  the  Germans 
near  Ham,  while  flying  in  an  English  scout  plane  from  Norwich, 
England,  to  Paris,  France,  June  26,  1918;  remained  a  prisoner 
until  after  the  Armistice,  arriving  in  France,  through  Switzer- 
land, in  December,  191 8,  and  received  an  honorable  discharge 
in  February,  1919. 

Major  Reed  M.  Chambers  served  with  distinction  in  the 
aviation  department,  commanding  the  first  American  Aero  to 
go  to  the  front. 

He  was  in  command  of  the  94th  Aero  Squadron,  having 
succeeded  Captain  Eddie  Rickenbacker,  when  the  "ace  of  aces" 
returned  to  the  United  States.  Major  Chambers  was  officially 
credited  with  having  destroyed  seven  enemy  airplanes  and  un- 
officially credited  with  four  other  victories.  He  was  awarded  the 
distinguished  service  cross  with  three  citations,  the  Legion  of 
Honor,  and  the  croix  de  guerre  with  four  citations,  returning 
home  laden  with  honors. 

Certain  Indians  Made  Citizens — 

It  appears  that  no  general  law  provided  a  means  for  United 
States  citizenship  of  the  Indians  until  February  8,  1887,  when 

467 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Congress  passed  the  general  allotment  act,  which  provided  for 
the  general  allotment  of  lands  in  severalty,  and  declared  all 
Indians  born  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States,  who  should 
comply  with  certain  conditions,  to  be  citizens  of  the  United 
States. 

This  act  was  followed  in  1906  by  what  was  called  the  Burke 
act,  under  which  the  issuance  of  a  fee  simple  patent  was  made  the 
primary  legal  requirement  for  citizenship. 

However,  the  act  of  1887  excluded  from  its  provisions  as  to 
citizenship  the  members  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  composed 
of  the  Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  Creeks,  Cherokees,  and  Seminole 
Indians.  By  the  act  of  March  3,  1901,  the  general  allotment  law 
was  so  amended  as  to  make  every  Indian  in  the  Indian  Territory 
eligible  to  be  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  under  this  law  the 
members  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  who  had  received  allotments, 
and   their  children  became  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

Under  these  laws  the  right  to  exercise  the  elective  franchise 
was  conferred  upon  all  Indians  who  had  become  citizens.  This 
the  rank  and  file  of  the  Indians  never  sought,  and,  indeed,  did 
not  want.  However,  the  right  to  vote  was  used  as  a  catchword 
to  further  the  extension  of  the  Dawes'  Policy. 

As  might  well  have  been  anticipated,  the  wily  political  white 
"boss"  was  lying  in  wait  and  lost  no  time  in  "rounding  up"  and 
voting  the  unsuspecting  Indian,  thereby  debauching  the  ballot 
to  such  an  extent  as  to  call  for  further  amendments  of  the  law. 

Those  who  may  desire  to  know  more  of  the  details  of  these 
discreditable  matters  may  learn  of  them  from  Mr.  Leupp  (p.  36 
et  seq.),  though  he  favored  the  so-called  Dawes  Laws. 


In  the  fourth  section  of  the  constitution  of  the  State  of 
Oklahoma,  of  date  July  16,  1907,  it  is  declared: 

"The  people  inhabiting  the  State  do  agree  and  declare  that 
they  forever  disclaim  all  right  and  title  in  or  to  any  unappro- 
priated lands  lying  within  the  boundaries  thereof,  and  to  all 

468 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

lands  lying  within  said  limits  owned  or  held  by  any  Indian  tribe 
or  nation ;  and  until  the  title  to  any  such  public  land  shall  have 
been  extinguished  by  the  United  States,  the  same  shall  be  and 
remain  subject  to  the  jurisdiction,  disposal,  and  control  of  the 
United  States." 

By  the  forty-third  section  of  the  same  constitution  it  was 
also  provided : 

'The  qualified  electors  of  the  State  shall  be  male  citizens  of 
the  United  States  and  male  persons  of  Indian  descent  of  the 
United  States  who  are  over  the  age  of  twenty-one." 

The  result  is  that  the  Chickasaw  Indians  are  now  full- 
fledged  citizens,  both  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  State  of 
Oklahoma. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the  great  bulk  of 
the  Indians  held  their  lands  in  tribal  or  communal  interests,  but 
these  communal  interests  have  been  broken  up  to  a  large  extent 
by  transferring  the  tribal  or  communal  title  into  individual 
ownership  under  the  various  allotment  laws.  Under  these  allot- 
ment laws  the  Indians  did  not  have  the  right  to  dispose  of  their 
property  for  a  period  of  twenty  years,  and  in  some  other  patents 
there  was  a  period  of  trust  for  the  same  length  of  time.  Thus 
there  arose  the  anomalous  situation  of  citizens  of  the  United 
States  and  of  the  State,  and  yet  they  were  not  free  to  dispose  of 
their  lands,  the  right  of  disposition  being  wisely  withheld  under 
the  protection  of  the  laws  of  the  federal  government. 

On  the  one  hand  the  Indian  Commissioner  has  been  besieged 
by  misguided  persons,  who  assumed  and  no  doubt  supposed  that 
they  were  the  friends  of  the  Indians,  to  cut  off  all  restrictions  and 
allow  all  Indians,  whatever  their  various  capacities  were,  to 
sell  and  dispose  of  their  property  at  will.  There  was,  of  course, 
as  there  probably  always  will  be,  crafty  men  lying  in  wait  to 
fleece  the  unsuspecting  Indian  of  his  patrimony  as  soon  as 
legal  restraints  were  so  loosened  as  to  make  the  Indian  an 
easy  victim.   The  policy  of  the  present  Indian  Commissioner  has 

469 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

been  to  give  full  control  over  their  property  to  Indians  who, 
he  was  satisfied,  were  qualified  to  look  after  their  business 
affairs. 

The  present  Indian  Commissioner,  Hon.  Cato  Sells,  has  been 
in  office,  as  I  understand,  since  19 13,  and  in  his  report  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1920 
(p.  40),  says: 

"This  tentative  plan  brought  encouraging  results  and 
largely  decided  me  in  announcing  the  'Declaration  of  Policy' 
of  April  17,  191 7,  which  provides  that  a  broad,  liberal  policy 
shall  henceforth  prevail,  to  the  end  that  every  Indian  of  twenty- 
one  years  or  over,  as  soon  as  ascertained  to  be  as  competent  to 
transact  his  own  business  as  the  average  white  man,  shall  be 
given  full  control  of  his  lands  and  funds  and  thus  cease  to  be  a 
ward  of  the  government.  This  policy  was  further  greatly  en- 
larged by  the  subsequent  declaration  to  give  a  fee  patent  to,  or 
release  from  United  States  control  in  other  ways,  every  allottee 
(twenty-one  years  of  age  and  competent)  who  had  at  least  one- 
half  white  blood. 

"Under  these  broader  policies,  the  total  number  of  Indians 
released  from  government  supervision  has  reached  nearly  21,000, 
Oklahoma  sharing  a  large  percentage. 

"In  the  years  prior  to  1913  somewhat  over  6,000  fee  patents 
had  been  issued,  and  from  that  year  to  the  date  of  the  new 
policy  about  3,542  fee  patents  were  issued,  approximating  9,500. 
It  will  be  seen  that  under  this  liberal  procedure  many  more 
Indians  have  been  released  from  government  control  since  191 7 
than  were  released  in  all  prior  years. 

"Under  various  acts  of  Congress  the  restrictions  on  the 
control  of  lands  of  many  of  the  Five  Tribes'  allottees  were  ab- 
solutely removed,  and  the  Indians  and  intermarried  whites 
given  full  responsibilities  of  citizenship.  As  rapidly  as  con- 
ditions will  properly  permit,  we  hope  to  place  in  the  hands  of 
every  Indian  who  is  competent  the  full  control  of  all  his  trust 
property;  and  I  venture  to  suggest  that  it  would  be  in  the  in- 
terest of  all  the  good  citizens  of  Oklahoma,  not  only  as  a  business 
proposition  but  for  other  high  considerations,  to  give  encourage- 
ment to  every  Indian  released  from  government  control,  to  the 
end  that  his  property  may  be  kept  intact  and  that  he  may  be 

470 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

shielded  from  those  who  might  seek  to  involve  him  in  transactions 
that  would  result  in  the  loss  of  his  lands  or  money. 

"I  have  held  to  the  principle  of  protecting  the  Indian  in  his 
property  rights  until  he  shows  a  reasonable  capacity  for  taking 
care  of  himself  in  competition  with  the  white  man,  believing  that 
this  is  scarcely  a  greater  service  to  the  one  than  to  the  other. 
No  State  can  thrive  on  the  pauperism  of  any  considerable  element 
of  its  population.  There  is  something  wrong  with  the  social, 
civic,  and  economic  standards  of  any  State  where  there  is  a 
large,  improvident  class  of  citizens." 

I  have  thus  quoted  at  large,  so  that  the  present  status  of 
the  Indians  might  correctly  appear,  and  also  that  the  views  of 
the  Commissioner  as  to  the  future  policy  to  be  pursued  may 
appear  in  his  own  language. 

The  statement  that  the  state  should  be  protected  against 
the  pauperism  of  any  considerable  element  of  its  population,  I 
suppose  is  pointed  at  the  Indians,  the  fair  implication  being 
that  reference  is  had  to  their  presumed  future  pauperism. 

In  my  view  this  is  but  an  extension  of  the  time  old  and  un- 
just policy  that  has  marked  the  treatment  of  the  North  American 
Indian  by  the  government  from  the  beginning.  Mark,  the  state 
is  to  be  protected  from  the  Indian  and  his  supposed  pauperism, 
at  least  such  is  the  inference  to  be  drawn  from  the  language. 
The  welfare  of  the  Indian  is  evidently  regarded  as  of  secondary 
consideration. 

The  benevolent  suggestion  that  it  would  be  to  the  interest 
of  all  good  citizens  to  give  encouragement  to  every  Indian  released 
from  government  control,  so  that  he  might  be  shielded  from 
those  who  would  fleece  him  of  his  lands  or  money,  would  be 
amusing,  if  it  did  not  carry  with  it  the  suggestion  of  a  conscious- 
ness that  such  a  fate  awaits  many  defenseless  Indians.  Such 
benevolent  suggestion  would  have  no  more  effect  to  stay  the 
hand  of  rapacity  and  greed  than  a  soft  southern  zephyr  would 
have  when  caught  in  the  embrace  of  a  cyclone  on  a  western 
plain. 

471 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  vice  of  the  position  and  theory  of  the  Commissioner 
consists  in  the  assumption  that  in  the  government's  treatment 
of  the  Indian  his  interests  must  be  entirely  subordinated  to 
those  of  the  whites;  that  is,  the  Indian  is  to  be  treated  as  an 
intruder,  and  his  presence  is  to  be  tolerated  only  upon  certain 
conditions,  pains,  and  penalties  as  may  be  conducive  to  his 
neighbor,  the  views  and  interests  of  the  Indian  to  the  contrary 
notwithstanding. 

True,  it  is  not  so  phrased  by  officials,  but  that  is  what  their 
theory  or  treatment  means  when  reduced  to  its  last  analysis. 

What  right  has  the  white  man  to  complain  of  the  presence 
of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  in  Oklahoma? 

Take  the  case  of  the  Chickasaws;  they  were  found  by  the 
white  man  possessed  of  their  ancient  domain  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi for  generations  before  the  white  man  came,  and  looking  on  the 
outline  of  the  new  world  claimed  to  own  it  in  fee,  under  the 
so-called  right  of  title  by  reason  of  original  discovery,  though, 
of  course,  his  discovery  was  second  to  that  of  the  Indians.  When 
by  the  right  of  might  the  Chickasaws  were  despoiled  of  their 
ancient  homes  and  driven  west,  the  white  men  directed  him  to 
buy  a  new  home  there,  which  he  did,  receiving  a  patent  in  fee 
from  the  government,  guaranteeing  that  no  white  man's  govern- 
ment would  ever  rule  over  him  and  that  he  would  be  allowed  to 
hold  the  title  to  his  new  home  in  common,  and  not  in  severalty,  and 
that  no  white  man  should  ever  intrude  upon  him  in  his  new 
home.  Reford  Bond  very  correctly  stated  to  the  congressional 
sub-committee  in  19 14  that  no  innocent  purchaser,  for  value  in 
due  course  of  business,  ever  possessed  a  more  perfect  title  to 
his  property  than  did  the  Chickasaws  to  their  new  homes  in  the 
West. 

Did  the  government  respect  its  treaties,  its  patents,  or  its 
solemn  engagements? 

Not  in  the  least. 

The  United  States  not  only  allowed  white  intruders  to  enter 
but  erected  first  a  territorial  and  then  a  state  government  over 

472 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  Indian  country,  first  having  abolished  the  right  of  the  Indians 
to  hold  their  property  in  common  over  their  most  solemn  pro- 
test, and  it  is  now  insisting  that  the  day  be  hastened  so  that  an 
opportunity  may  be  afforded  the  whites  to  secure  what  little 
land  is  still  held  in  severalty  by  some  of  the  Indians,  under  the 
plea  that  the  state  should  not  suffer  from  the  presence  of  pau- 
pers ! 

Disguise  it  as  they  may  under  plausible  verbiage,  these  are 
the  plain  facts. 

In  the  first  place  the  Indians  are  not  paupers;  but  if  so, 
who  made  them  such? 

When  George  Washington  called  upon  Piomingo  and  the 
Chickasaws  to  come  to  the  rescue  of  federal  troops  under 
General  St.  Clair  and  General  Wayne  in  their  battles  with 
the  Northwestern  Confederation  of  Indians  north  of  the  Ohio, 
fighting  under  Little  Turtle,  did  he  then  call  them  paupers? 

When  General  James  Robertson  sought  the  protection  of 
the  same  Chickasaws  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  the  infant 
white  settlement  where  the  capital  of  Tennessee  now  stands, 
did  he  then  intimate  that  they  were  paupers,  or  that  their  room 
was  preferred  to  their  company? 


In  1888  Chief  Justice  Fuller  (130  U.  S.  122),  quoting  largely 
from  Professor  Pomeroy's  Equity  Jurisprudence,  said: 

"Whenever  the  legal  title  to  property  is  obtained  through 
means  or  under  circumstances  which  render  it  unconscientious 
for  the  holder  of  the  legal  title  to  retain  and  enjoy  the  beneficial 
interest,  equity  impresses  a  constructive  trust  on  the  property 
thus  acquired  in  favor  of  the  one  who  is  truly  and  equitably 
entitled  to  the  same,  although  he  may  never,  perhaps,  have  had 
any  legal  estate  therein;  and  a  court  of  equity  has  jurisdiction 
to  reach  the  property  either  in  the  hands  of  the  original  wrong 
doer,  or  in  the  hands  of  any  subsequent  holder,  until  a  purchaser 
of  it  in  good  faith  and  without  notice  acquires  a  higher  right  and 
takes  the  property  relieved  from  the  trust."  (Pomeroy's  Eq. 
Jur.,  Sec.  1053.) 

473 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

These  principles  have  received  the  unanimous  approval  of 
all  the  courts  and  text  writers,  but,  of  course,  they  were  written 
in  respect  to  the  private  rights  of  men  as  against  each  other; 
but  is  not  the  obligation  of  this  great  republic  to  respect  its  solemn 
engagements,  and  not  wrest  from  others  their  property,  as 
sacred,  nay,  more  sacred,  than  the  obligations  and  duties  of 
private  citizens? 

When  the  government  perpetrated  these  wrongs  on  the 
defenseless  Indians,  it  had  constituted  itself  the  self-styled 
guardian  of  the  Indians. 

Having  despoiled  its  wards  of  their  estates,  why  does  not 
the  government  stand  in  the  relation  of  trustee  to  the  Indians 
thus  despoiled,  to  the  uttermost  farthing? 

If  the  government  was  compelled  to  respond  to  the  just 
claims  of  the  Indians,  according  to  these  principles  of  equity 
jurisprudence,  then,  so  far  from  being  paupers,  the  Chickasaws 
would  be  rich  beyond  the  dream  of  avarice. 

The  Chickasaws  as  Citizens  of  Oklahoma — 

It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  wild  banks  of  the  Chucaca  (Tom- 
bigbee)  River  in  the  wilderness  of  the  new  world,  when  Hernando 
De  Soto  first  looked  into  the  faces  of  the  intrepid  Chickasaws 
in  1540  to  the  white  light  of  the  twentieth  century  at  the  capital 
of  Oklahoma,  the  youngest  and  one  of  the  proudest  states  of 
the  American  commonwealth. 

De  Soto  found  the  Chickasaws  of  his  day  to  be  imperious, 
self-respecting,  self-contained  lovers  of  their  homes  and  of 
freedom,  which  they  prized  more  than  life  itself. 

Their  descendants  today  are  citizens  of  the  great  State  of 
Oklahoma,  self-contained  and  self-respecting;  and,  moreover, 
still  lovers  of  their  homes  and  country,  for  we  shall  see  that  upon 
the  ensanguined  fields  of  France  and  Flanders  they  proved  their 
love  of  freedom  and  that  they  are  worthy  descendants  of  the 
primitive  and  unconquerable  Chickasaws,  who  now  sleep  east  of 
the  great  Mississippi  River. 

474 


The  Qhickasaw  Nation 

What  momentous  changes  have  taken  place  since  1540,  as 
generation  after  generation  and  century  after  century  have 
rolled  into  the  silent  eternity  of  the  past! 

The  pope  still  sits  upon  the  throne  of  St.  Peter  in  the  Vati- 
can, but  possesses  only  the  shadow  of  the  prerogatives  and  powers 
of  his  predecessors  in  the  fifteenth  century ;  when  in  the  plenitude 
of  his  power  he  gave  to  Spain  all  the  worlds  and  peoples  that 
might  be  discovered  west  of  an  imaginary  line  drawn  from  pole 
to  pole,  one  hundred  leagues  west  of  the  Azores;  while  to  Portugal 
he  made  a  like  gift  of  all  other  worlds  and  peoples  that  might  be 
discovered  east  of  the  imaginary  line  referred  to. 

So  late  as  1870  the  people  of  Italy,  under  the  leadership  of 
Garibaldi,  wrenched  from  the  successor  of  St.  Peter  the  last 
remnant  of  his  temporal  power;  while  in  the  spiritual  kingdom 
his  sovereignty  is  challenged  by  the  far-flung  ranks  of  the  many 
creeds  marching  under  the  banners  of  Protestantism,  the  spiritual 
children  of  Martin  Luther,  who  died  six  years  after  De  Soto  first 
saw  the  Chickasaws. 

As  to  the  proud  and  disdainful  kingdoms  of  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal, while  the  one  still  remains  a  kingdom  and  the  other  is  now  a 
republic,  still  they  are  but  shadows  of  their  ancient  proportions. 

Upon  the  continent  of  North  America,  as  successors  to  the 
Indians,  there  has  sprung  up  the  great  American  common- 
wealth, which,  in  wealth,  in  numbers,  and  in  prowess,  stands 
almost  without  a  rival  among  the  great  powers  of  the  globe. 

Amid  all  of  these  wonderful  changes  the  Chickasaws  are 
still  here,  and  can  give  a  good  account  of  their  struggles  and 
present  condition. 

If  a  survival  of  the  fittest  is  to  be  taken  as  the  acid  test  of 
worthiness  to  survive,  then  the  existence  of  the  present  day 
Chickasaws  attest  the  nobility  of  the  characters  of  the  primitive 
Chickasaws,  who,  though  so  small  in  point  of  numbers,  yet  ex- 
cited the  wonder  and  admiration  of  all  of  the  earliest  travelers  in 
the  wilderness  of  America  at  their  prowess  and  the  dread  and 
respect  for  them  entertained  by  all  other  Indian  nations,  though 

475 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

many  of  them  exceeded  in  numbers  ten  times  all  of  the  Chickasaw 
people. 

I  have  searched  in  vain  to  ascertain  the  exact  number  of  the 
Chickasaws  at  the  time  of  their  removal  from  Mississippi  in  1836. 
As  near  as  I  can  ascertain,  in  1822  they  numbered  3,600  souls;  and 
having  adapted  themselves  to  the  modes  of  life  and  sentiments  of 
their  white  neighbors,  they  were  slaveholders  and  were  a  pros- 
perous people.  After  their  removal  westward,  and  having 
settled  on  the  western  confines  of  the  Choctaw  country,  the  wild 
Indians  of  the  plains  made  warlike  inroads  upon  the  Chickasaws, 
but  were  so  summarily  chastised  that  the  Chickasaws  were  left 
free  and  soon  began  a  new  prosperity.  I  see  it  stated  in  some 
reference  authorities  that  after  their  removal  the  Chickasaws 
began  to  lag  behind  the  other  Indians  in  the  Territory,  the  reason 
ascribed  being  that  they  had  become  lazy,  owing  to  their  large 
annuity  of  $60,000  to  be  distributed  among  their  population,  then 
estimated  at  4,200  souls.  This  was  before  the  Civil  War  and 
after  they  had  been  admitted  into  the  council  of  the  Choctaws, 
the  two  nations  becoming  to  a  certain  extent  one  composite 
people. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  their  rights  and 
prerogatives  were  not  as  full  as  those  of  the  Choctaws,  whom 
they  had  always  defeated  in  battle,  especially  in  the  French  wars, 
and  upon  whom  it  is  to  be  presumed  they  looked  as  scarcely  their 
equals.  Chaffing  under  these  handicaps  they  appealed  to  the 
President  and  succeeded  in  securing  a  separate  government  for 
themselves,  and  after  this  it  is  agreed  that  they  began  anew  to 
make  rapid  progress. 

The  people  inhabiting  the  Indian  Territory  proper  began  a 
movement  for  statehood,  which  eventuated  in  the  adoption  of  a 
constitution  in  1905,  the  new  state  to  be  called  Sequoyah,  in 
honor  of  the  great  Cherokee  of  that  name,  an  honor  that  his 
memory  was  entitled  to  in  every  respect.  I  have  examined  with 
interest  and  profit  the  memorial  (Senate  Document  No.  143) 

476 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

which  was  presented  to  Congress  in  January,  1906,  praying  Con- 
gress to  admit  the  proposed  new  State  of  Sequoyah;  but  it  was 
ruled  otherwise. 

When  the  movement  for  statehood  became  assured,  the 
Chickasaws  were  its  active  supporters,  and  Honorable  William  H. 
Murray,  a  Chickasaw  by  marriage,  presided  over  the  convention 
which  adopted  the  present  constitution  of  Oklahoma,  and  many 
Chickasaws  were  members  of  that  convention,  among  them  being 
Honorable  Charles  D.  Carter,  who  has  represented  his  district  in 
Congress  since  statehood.  Governor  Lee  Cruce,  a  Chickasaw  by 
marriage,  was  the  second  governor  of  Oklahoma  and  the  Chick- 
asaws have  taken  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs. 

It  would  be  a  mistake  to  suppose,  however,  that  the  Chick- 
asaws have  only  displayed  ability  in  the  political  field,  for  not 
long  since  colored  supplements  of  a  Washington  paper  carried  the 
picture  of  Frank  Overton  Colbert  in  his  studio  as  an  artist,  he 
being  a  descendant  of  the  noted  Chickasaw  family  of  Colberts, 
for  some  generations  conspicuous  and  able  leaders  of  the  Chicka- 
saw people,  noted  hereinbefore. 

Mr.  Colbert  made  his  home  in  Washington  for  several 
years,  finally  removing  to  New  York,  where  he  made  an  exhibition 
of  thirty  of  his  paintings  in  a  Fifth  Avenue  gallery.  Colbert  is 
still  a  young  man  and  described  in  the  Daily  Oklahoman  of  May 
8,  192 1,  as  dark,  dapper,  and  alert,  with  an  unwavering  glance, 
sleek  black  hair,  sharp  nose,  and  uncommonly  graceful  in  his 
walk  and  gestures. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  New  York,  an  American 
Indian,  in  the  person  of  Colbert,  exhibited  his  painting  on  Fifth 
Avenue.  It  is  said  he  has  tried  to  express  the  religious  myths 
of  the  Hopi,  Navajo,  Choctaw,  Chickasaw,  and  Sioux  Indians, 
and  that  all  are  exquisitely  drawn,  subtle  and  beautiful  in  color, 
and  have  a  rare  savor  of  the  earth  and  the  emotional  simplicity 
of  the  aboriginal  American. 

The  success  of  this  young  Chickasaw  reminds  us  that  Leupp 
declared   the  aboriginal  American  possessed  a  highly  artistic 

477 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

temperament,  though,  of  course,  owing  to  his  almost  entire  want 
of  culture  along  these  lines,  it  found  expression  only  in  the 
rudest  manner. 

The  Name  Oklahoma  a  Chickasaw  Word— 

I  have  often  seen  it  stated  that  the  beautiful  and  musical 
name  of  Oklahoma,  meaning  red  people,  is  from  the  Choctaw 
language;  and  while  I  do  not  profess  to  understand  either  the 
Choctaw  or  Chickasaw  language,  still  I  venture  the  opinion  that 
its  original  derivation  was  from  the  Chickasaw  tongue.  There 
was  an  ancient  town  in  the  Chickasaw  country,  and  now  in 
Marshall  County,  Mississippi,  named  Chulahoma,  or  in  English 
red  fox,  and  the  well  known  road,  and  its  forerunner,  the  Indian 
trail  leading  therefrom  to  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  the  chief  entrepot 
of  the  Chickasaws,  and  still  in  use,  is  also  known  as  the  Chula- 
homa Road,  thus  indicating  that  this  word,  so  like  the  word 
Oklahoma,  was  of  Chickasaw  origin. 

Again,  the  beautiful  word  Coahoma,  ancient  of  days,  now 
the  name  of  the  fertile  and  well  known  county  in  north  Mississip- 
pi, was  originally  the  name  of  the  noted  Chickasaw  chief  of  that 
name,  coahoma  meaning  red  panther  or  red  cat.  Coahoma  was 
known  to  the  English  also  as  William  McGillivray,  and  lived  to 
an  old  age. 

We  learn  from  Warren  (p.  560)  that  Coahoma  served  under 
Washington,  and  was  commissioned  by  him  as  a  captain  in  the 
United  States  Army,  stationed  at  Fort  Pitt,  now  Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania. 

Warren  adds  that  in  a  letter  to  himself  from  J.  N.  Walton, 
dated  Aberdeen,  Mississippi,  May  15,  1881,  he  says: 

,'I  have  seen  his  commission,  and  it  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
his  son  near  Fort  Towson,  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  nation,  West." 

In  all  probability  the  war  in  which  Coahoma  was  commissioned 
a  captain  by  Washington  was  the  war  in  the  Northwest  in  1791 
and  subsequent  years,  in  which  the  United  States  troops  were 

478 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

commanded  first  by  General  St.  Clair,  and  afterwards  by  Gen- 
eral Wayne,  while  the  Northwest  Confederated  Indian  Tribes 
were  led  by  the  great  Indian  chief,  Little  Turtle.  Piomingo  was 
also  commissioned  a  captain  by  Washington  and  served  in  that  war. 

The  name  Coahoma  is  strikingly  like  that  of  Oklahoma. 

Where  is  there  a  more  musical  word  and  pleasing  to  the  ear 
than  Okolona,  the  name  of  the  charming  little  city  of  Chickasaw 
County,  Mississippi,  the  former  home  of  the  Chickasaws?  We 
learn  from  Leftwich  (7  Miss.  Hist.  Soc,  p.  270)  that  this  city  was 
named  for  a  herdsman  of  the  noted  Chickasaw,  Levi  Colbert,  on 
account  of  the  quiet  manners  of  the  herdsman,  he  being  named 
"Okolona,  which  means  calm  or  peaceful." 

It  is  not  a  long  step  from  Okolona  to  Oklahoma. 

Bancroft  (2,  p.  97)  first  writes  of  the  Chickasaws  as  the 
cheerful,  brave,  and  invincible  allies  of  the  English,  the  most 
intrepid  warriors  of  the  South ;  after  which  he  speaks  of  the  Choc- 
taws,  and  in  reference  to  their  language  he  adds:  "Their  dialect 
of  the  Mobilian  so  nearly  resembles  that  of  the  Chickasaws  that 
they  almost  seemed  but  one  nation." 

The  reference  would  seem  to  mean  that  he  regarded  the 
Chickasaw  tongue  as  the  dominant  language. 

The  reader  is  here  referred  to  what  is  said  in  Chapter  VIII 
under  the  sub-title,  "Language  of  the  Chickasaws,"  where  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  Chickasaws  had  so  imposed  their  language  upon 
all  of  their  more  numerous  neighbors  that  it  was  adopted  as  the 
trade  language  over  a  vast  country  far  beyond  the  limits  of 
their  own  very  extended  domain. 

DuPratz  (p.  310),  who  knew  the  Chickasaws  as  early  as 
1720,  Romans  (p.  59),  who  visited  them  in  i77i,Nuttall  (p.  288) 
in  18 19  and  Pickett  (p.  133),  as  well  as  practically  all  the  early 
writers,  join  in  stating  that  the  Chickasaw  language  was  used 
almost  universally  among  all  adjacent  tribes.  DuPratz,  than 
whom  no  one  possessed  better  opportunities  to  know  whereof  he 
spoke,  added:  "Those  who  speak  it  (Chickasaw)  best  value 
themselves  upon  it." 

479 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  other  words  neighboring  nations  considered  it  a  badge  of 
honor  to  be  able  to  speak  in  the  Chickasaw  tongue. 

In  a  letter  to  me,  Mrs.  Anna  Guy  Addington,  a  Chickasaw, 
proud  of  her  ancestry,  writes  that  the  name  Oklahoma  in  the 
Indian  tongue  is  soft  and  musical,  and  unlike  the  pronunciation 
of  the  whites;  thus  reminding  us  of  what  that  eminent  writer  and 
traveler  Bartram  (p.  417)  said  of  the  Chickasaw  language,  to 
the  effect  that  it  was  soft,  musical,  and  pleasing  to  the  ear,  and 
that  the  women  in  particular  spoke  so  fine  and  soft  as  to  remind 
you  of  the  prattling  of  children  or  the  singing  of  birds. 

As  is  well  known,  the  Choctaws  outnumbered  the  Chicka- 
saws  some  four  or  five  to  one,  and  the  Choctaws  yielded  to  white 
pressure  in  Mississippi  earlier  than  did  the  Chickasaws,  the 
great  bulk  of  the  Choctaws  moving  to  their  new  home  in  the 
West  in  1831,  leaving  a  minority  of  their  numbers  in  Mississippi, 
who  ever  since  are  known  as  the  Mississippi  Choctaws. 

The  Chickasaws  had  failed  in  more  than  one  effort  to  find  a 
suitable  home  in  the  West,  but  eventually  purchased  there  a 
part  of  the  Choctaw  country,  to  which  they  removed  in  1836; 
and  under  an  agreement  the  two  nations  for  many  purposes 
became  one  composite  body,  and  thereafter  were  called  and 
known  as  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws.  The  Chickasaws 
were  so  greatly  outnumbered,  and  in  addition  there  were  certain 
restrictions  thrown  around  them  that  they  became  restive,  and 
finally  through  an  appeal  to  the  president  secured  complete 
autonomy,  as  shown  hereinbefore.  Roosevelt  has  very  correctly 
said  that  the  Chickasaws  were  more  closely  knit  together  than 
any  other  of  the  great  Muskhogean  confederation,  and  the  whole 
nation  worked  in  unison.  No  doubt  this  was  the  spirit  causing 
them  to  chafe  at  somewhat  losing  their  identity  while  connected 
with  the  Choctaws. 

The  Choctaws,  though  so  greatly  outnumbering  the  Chick- 
asaws, feared  them,  and  to  the  discredit  of  the  Choctaws,  as 
noted  by  their  ardent  friend  Cushman,  they  joined  the  French 
army  marching  from  the  South  in  1736,  to  meet  another  French 

480 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

and  Indian  army  coming  down  from  what  is  now  Canada,  in  the 
Chickasaw  country,  for  the  purpose  of  exterminating  the  Chicka- 
saw nation;  but  both  armies  met  an  ignominious  defeat  at  the 
hands  of  the  invincible  Chickasaws.  A  like  army  of  French  and 
Choctaws  from  the  South  met  in  the  Chickasaw  country  a  like 
French  and  Indian  army  coming  from  Canada  in  the  year  1839, 
and  with  no  better  success  than  in  1836. 

These  campaigns  have  been  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
all  historians,  the  details  whereof  appear  at  large  in  the  ninth 
chapter,  ante. 

To  the  public  at  large,  however,  in  recent  years,  the  Choc- 
taws apparently  were  the  dominant  factors;  and  hence,  even  in 
the  derivation  of  a  word  such  as  Oklahoma,  as  the  Choctaw  and 
Chickasaw  languages  were  so  nearly  the  same,  it  was  assumed 
that  the  word  was  of  Choctaw  origin ;  whereas  in  point  of  fact  it 
was  in  all  probability  derived  from  the  Chickasaw  tongue. 


Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  in  a  letter  to  me  from 
Reford  Bond,  the  eminent  Chickasaw  attorney  at  law,  it  is  stated 
that  his  mother,  Mrs.  Adelaide  Johnson  Bond,  speaks  the  Chicka- 
saw language  fluently  and  that  the  name  Oklahoma  has  the  same 
meaning  in  the  Chickasaw  and  Choctaw  languages. 

Wherefore,  as  the  Chickasaw  language  was  unquestionably 
the  dominant  language,  it  would  seem  that  the  deduction  that 
the  word  Oklahoma  is  of  Chickasaw  origin,  is  correct. 

I  may  add  that  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Bond  was  named  Rebecca 
Courtney  Johnson,  and  was  reputed,  when  young,  the  champion 
swimmer  among  the  Chickasaws;  and  it  is  said  that  when  the 
Chickasaws  moved  west,  she  plunged  into  the  turbid  waters  of 
the  Mississippi  and  swam  unaided  across  to  its  western  shore. 

The  Present  Chickasaw  Population— 

The  present  population  of  the  Chickasaw  nation,  as  usually 
given,  is  stated  as  10,966,  but  in  this  aggregate  there  are  in- 

481 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

eluded  the  descendants  of  their  former  slaves,  who  number 
4,662,  and  these  being  deducted  from  the  above  total  leaves 
the  whole  Chickasaw  population,  6,304  souls. 

Other  Indians  having  adopted  their  former  slaves  as  members 
of  their  tribes,  their  freedmen  are  properly  numbered  as  members 
of  their  respective  tribes;  but  this  the  proud  Chickasaws  per- 
sistently refused;  nevertheless,  the  government  as  persistently 
classifies  Chickasaw  freedmen  as  Chickasaws,  probably  more 
from  force  of  habit  than  otherwise. 

After  carefully  going  over  the  statistics  as  to  population 
in  the  report  of  Sells  (p.  70)  and  of  Gabe  E.  Parker,  Superin- 
tendent for  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  ending  June  30,  1920  (p.  7), 
it  seems  that  the  total  number  of  Chickasaws  as  stated  above  is 
made  up  of  full-bloods,  half-bloods,  etc.,  as  follows: 

Full  bloods 1,515 

Mixed,  three-fourths  or  more 258 

One-half  to  three-fourths 708 

Less  than  one-half,  including  intermarried  whites .  .3,823 

Total 6,304 

But  of  these  I  understand  there  are  intermarried 
whites 645 

This  leaves  the  present  number  of  Chickasaws  by 
blood 5,659 

The  tables  showing  the  distribution  of  common  school  funds 
among  the  Chickasaws,  as  well  as  a  letter  from  Superintendent 
Parker,  show  that  the  great  bulk  of  the  Chickasaws  live  in  the 
country  and  not  in  cities  or  towns. 

In  their  primitive  state,  it  will  be  recalled  that,  while  they 
lived  in  towns,  which  was  necessary  for  safety  and  defense,  still 
their  houses  were  not  close  together,  but  some  distance  apart, 
having  near  them  their  open  plots  of  ground  for  cultiva- 
tion. 

482 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  to  learn  that  they  still  prefer 
the  open  country,  and  the  free  life  there,  which  is  not  to  be 
found  elsewhere. 

The  above  is  a  creditable  showing,  and  while  the  details  of 
the  population  show  a  considerable  infusion  of  white  blood,  that 
is  no  doubt  explained  by  the  fact  that  Chickasaw  women,  ac- 
cording to  all  early  travelers,  were  exceptionally  attractive; and, 
moreover,  we  learn  from  Haywood  that  they  were  exceptionally 
virtuous,  while  we  learn  from  that  early  (1758)  traveler,  Major 
Robert  Rogers,  that  their  men  "were  not  at  all  troubled  with  a 
spirit  of  jealousy,  and  say  it  bemeans  a  man  to  suspect  a  woman's 
chastity."  Major  Rogers,  that  rather  remarkable  writer,  then 
adds  in  reference  to  the  Chickasaws : 

"They  are  tall,  well  shaped,  and  handsome  featured,  es- 
pecially their  women,  far  exceeding  in  beauty  any  other  nation 
in  the  Southland." 

In  this  connection  it  will  be  recalled  that  Adair,  who  first 
went  to  their  country  in  1744,  and  lived  among  them  for  several 
years,  also  speaks  in  glowing  terms  of  the  beauty,  grace,  and 
coquettish  manners  of  the  Chickasaw  girls. 

Who  would  blame  the  sturdy  young  white  pioneer  for 
falling  easy  captives  to  the  dark-eyed  daughters  of  the  forest 
as  thus  pictured,  especially  when  they  prized  themselves  so 
highly,  and  were  more  highly  prized  by  the  young  Chickasaw 
warriors. 

If  we  look  to  the  number  of  white  intermarriages  among  the 
remaining  four  civilized  tribes,  we  will  find  that,  proportionately 
speaking,  there  are  over  four  times  as  many  whites  intermarried 
among  the  Chickasaws  as  among  the  four  remaining  tribes. 
Thus,  Sells  (1820,  p.  64)  reports  the  total  number  of  Indians  by 
blood  among  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  as  75,519  and  the  inter- 
married whites  among  them  as  2,582. 

On  page  70  Sells  gives  the  intermarried  whites  among  the 
Chickasaws  as  645.     By  simple  calculation  it  will  appear  that, 

483 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

whereas  among  the  four  remaining  civilized  tribes  there  are 
slightly  over  thirty-six  Indians  by  blood  to  every  intermarried 
white,  there  are  only  a  little  over  eight  Chickasaws  by  blood  to 
each  intermarried  white;  thus  showing  a  very  marked  preference 
of  whites  for  the  Chickasaws  as  compared  to  the  remaining 
four  civilized  tribes,  at  least  in  the  matter  of  intermarriages. 

I  can  not,  however,  refrain  from  expressing  the  hope  that 
the  day  may  be  distant  when  the  last  true  type  of  the  proud  and 
intrepid  Chickasaw  may  cease  to  appear  among  the  many  people 
who  will  mingle  and  commingle  in  this  great  republic,  once  the 
exclusive  home  of  the  aboriginal  American  Indian.  In  that  far 
distant  day  in  the  future,  when  the  history  of  the  Chickasaws  is 
written  in  the  clear  light  of  truth,  free  from  bias  and  prejudice, 
many  a  proud  dame,  as  well  as  gallant  man,  will  with  pride,  in 
tracing  their  descent,  count  back  to  the  time  when  some  Chicka- 
saw was  the  progenitor  of  their  families,  as  even  now  it  is  a  badge 
of  honor  for  the  first  families  of  Virginia  to  count  Pocahontas 
among  their  ancient  forebears. 

Unsold  Tribal  Property- 
Mr.  Parker,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes, 
in  his  1920  report  (p.  8)  gives  his  estimate  of  the  value  of  the 
unsold  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  tribal  property  as  follows: 

Estimated  Value  of  Unsold  Tribal  Property 
(Including  amounts  uncollected  from  sale  of  lands  and  minerals.) 

Tribal  schools  and  improvements $105,000.00 

2,219  town  lots 40,000.00 

Unsold  lands,  including  timber  lands,  and 
surface  of  segregated  coal  and  asphalt 

lands 680,975.00 

Amount  uncollected  from  land  sold 1,755,14743 

Amount  uncollected  from  sale  of  coal  and 

asphalt  minerals 1,220,829.79 

Coal  and  asphalt  mineral  deposits 11,273,715.98 


Total $15,075,668.20 

484 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Approximately  three-fourths  of  these  properties  belong  to 
the  Choctaws,  and  the  remainder  to  the  Chickasaws. 

This  is  a  very  considerable  aggregate  of  values,  and,  as  I 
understand,  it  represents  all  that  is  left  of  the  once  vast  tribal 
properties  held  in  common  by  these  two  nations,  and  all  that 
remains  to  be  disposed  of  as  Congress  may  direct. 

In  Vol.  II,  p.  282;  of  the  Handbook  of  American  Indians, 
compiled  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  and  re- 
garded as  a  standard  authority,  there  is  set  forth  in  detail  many 
popular  fallacies  with  respect  to  our  Indians.  Among  them  is 
mentioned  the  belief  by  many  that  the  Indians  were  nomads, 
whereas,  in  point  of  fact,  they  both  claimed  and  occupied  well 
defined  districts  or  parts  of  the  country,  their  rights  thereto 
being  acknowledged  and  respected  by  all  other  Indians,  except 
when  in  some  war  of  conquest  or  otherwise,  a  tribe  was  subdued 
and  its  country  in  whole  or  in  part  was  taken  over  by  the  victor, 
precisely  as  do  civilized  countries  at  the  present  day. 

Another  popular  fallacy  pointed  out  in  the  authority  re- 
ferred to  is  the  idea  that  individual  Indians  or  families  owned 
parts  of  their  country  in  severalty,  as  is  the  custom  among  white 
people;  whereas  such  a  conception  was  repugnant  to  an  Indian's 
views  of  right  and  justice;  for  they  held  tenaciously  to  the  idea 
that  the  right  and  title  to  the  soil  was  vested  in  the  whole  tribe, 
which  owned  it  in  common  for  the  equal  benefit  of  all  the  members 
of  the  tribe,  each  one  of  whom  had  the  unquestioned  right  to 
occupy  and  cultivate  any  portion  of  the  common  property  not 
in  the  actual  occupancy  of  another. 

This  view  as  to  common  ownership  in  the  tribe  was  but  the 
natural  sequence  of  that  admirable  trait  of  their  character,  and 
that  is,  they  were  absolutely  without  mercenary  ideas.  From 
this  conception  it  followed  that  an  Indian  would,  without  ques- 
tion or  hesitancy,  divide  his  last  morsel  of  food  with  another 
who  was  in  need.  To  these  characteristics  I  have  already  re- 
ferred; hence  we  are  not  surprised  that  the  Indians  fought  in 
and  out  of  season  every  attempt  to  destroy  the  common  owner- 

485 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

ship  of  their  property.  Living  with  this  conception  of  property 
there  could  be  no  such  thing  as  poor  people  and  rich  people  in  a 
tribe,  nor  were  there  any  class  distinctions  whatever. 

These  conceptions  are  ingrained  into  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  the  Indians,  and  the  proposed  forcible  ownership  of  property 
in  severalty  outraged  their  feelings.  Moreover,  it  has  a  very 
practical  side  to  the  Indian;  and  that  consists  in  the  inability 
of  many  of  them,  and  especially  the  full  bloods,  to  rid  themselves 
of  the  idea  of  communal  ownership,  and  what  is  more  unfortunate, 
their  inability  to  change  their  very  natures  so  as  to  compete  with 
the  average  white  man  in  the  ownership  of  property  in  severalty, 
and  to  make  a  competency  for  himself  and  family  according  to 
the  white  man's  conception.  It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  the 
average  Indian  has  no  conception  of  the  value  of  money  ac- 
cording to  the  views  of  the  whites;  hence  he  falls  an  easy  victim 
to  the  unscrupulous. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  would  it  not  be  a  wise  and  humane 
policy  to  convert  at  least  the  greater  part  of  the  unsold  communal 
tribal  property  of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  into  a  tribal 
trust  fund,  to  be  controlled  by  a  board  composed  of  members 
of  the  respective  nations,  the  income  of  the  fund  to  be  ad- 
ministered and  paid  out,  not  per  capita,  but  for  the  benefit  of 
such  members  as,  owing  to  sickness,  physical  or  mental  inca- 
pacity or  otherwise,  need  either  permanent  or  temporary  as- 
sistance. 

A  charter  could  be  taken  out  so  that  there  could  be  a  corpo- 
rate entity  to  administer  the  fund,  and  to  this  corporation  benevo- 
lent persons  could  make  gifts,  donations,  and  legacies,  as  could 
also  governmental  agencies,  and  in  this  way  a  fund  sufficient 
in  amount  would  accumulate  to  meet  the  beneficent  purpose 
for  which  it  was  designed.  The  regular  stock  argument  always 
at  hand  and  often  used,  to  the  effect  that  a  per  capita  annuity 
paid  to  Indians  has  the  tendency  to  make  them  lazy  and  create 
paupers  of  them,  would  not  apply  here,  because  when  it  appeared 
to  the  Board  that  any  one  was  taking  advantage  of  the  trust  fund 

486 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

to  live  in  idleness,  then  a  cessation  of  payments  would  dis- 
illusion him  as  to  the  objects  of  the  beneficent  tribal  fund,  and  he 
would  be  summarily  thrown  on  his  own  resources.  If  the  United 
States  were  to  create  such  a  fund  outright  for  indigent  Chicka- 
saws,  it  would  be  but  returning  to  them  a  paltry  part  of  that 
vast  debt,  not  only  of  gratitude  but  of  property,  of  which,  in 
years  gone  by,  it  so  unjustly  deprived  them. 

It  may  truthfully  be  said  that  these  are  but  the  suggestions 
of  one  who  has  never  mingled  with  the  Indians,  and  there- 
fore is  without  practical  experience  as  to  their  necess- 
ities   or  wishes. 

It  may  be  answered  that  the  source  from  which  they  come 
is  at  least  entirely  disinterested,  and  the  subject  under  con- 
sideration is  one  upon  which  any  one  of  intelligence  is  entitled 
to  form  and  express  an  opinion. 

The  Present  Chickasaw  Officials- 
It  is  difficult  for  persons  unfamiliar  with  Indian  affairs  to 
realize  the  very  numerous,  varied,  and  large  monied  values  of 
the  matters  which  must  be  handled  by  the  Superintendent  of 
the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  not  to  mention  all  other  Indians 
falling  under  the  care  of  the  Indian  Commissioner.  In  his  1920 
report  (p.  6)  Mr.  Parker  says: 

"The  cashier  handled  a  total  of  $47,668,996.02,  including 
receipts  and  disbursements  of  all  classes  of  funds,  perhaps  the 
largest  in  the  history  of  the  office. 

"The  correspondence  continued  heavy  during  the  year. 
Approximately  1,000,000  pieces  of  mail  were  handled." 

In  order  to  properly  dispatch  this  business,  due  regard  being 
had  to  the  respective  rights  of  the  various  tribes,  it  is  manifest 
not  only  that  trained  men  representing  the  government  should 
be  in  authority,  but  in  addition  representatives  of  each  nation 
are  necessary  to  look  after  the  varied  interests  of  the  various 
nations  inter  sese. 

487 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

The  following  constitute  the  present  officials  representing 
the  Chickasaw  nation  and  their  respective  salaries: 

Salary 

Douglas  H.  Johnston,  Governor,  Emet,  Okla- 
homa  $3,000.00 

Ludie   Johnston,   Tribal   Secretary,    Milburn, 

Oklahoma 1 ,000.00 

Eastman  Johnston,  Tribal  Interpreter,  Tisho- 
mingo, Oklahoma 300.00 

J.   Hamp  Willis,   Mining  Trustee,   Kingston, 

Oklahoma 4,000.00 

Reford    Bond,    Tribal    Attorney,    Chickasha, 

Oklahoma 5,000.00 

Indian  Population  of  the  United  States— 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  of  interest  to  note  the  present 
Indian  population  throughout  the  United  States,  exclusive  of 
Alaska;  according  to  the  report  of  Commissioner  Sells  for  1920 
(p.  64),  the  aggregate  Indian  population  is  336,337;  but  this 
includes  23,405  freedmen  and  2,582  whites  by  intermarriage. 
Deducting  these  there  are  left  310,350  Indians  by  blood, 
and  if  to  these  we  add  2,582  whites  by  intermarriage,  we  have 
as  the  total  Indian  population,  312,932.  These  figures  are 
doubtless  approximately  correct,  and  are  according  to  the  report 
of  the  Indian  Commissioner. 

There  has  been  the  greatest  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the 
probable  Indian  population  of  North  America  when  Columbus 
first  discovered  the  new  world. 

In  Vol.  II,  p.  287,  of  the  Handbook  of  American  Indians  it  is 
said: 

"A  careful  study  of  population  conditions  for  the  whole 
territory  north  of  Mexico,  taking  each  geographic  section  sep- 
arately, indicates  a  total  population,  at  the  time  of  the  coming 
of  the  white  man,  of  nearly  1,150,000  Indians,  which  is  believed 
to  be  within  ten  per  cent  of  the  actual  number.     Of  this  total 

488 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

846,000  were  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States  proper, 
220,000  in  British  America,  72,000  in  Alaska,  and  10,000  in 
Greenland.  The  original  total  is  now  reduced  to  about  403,000,  a 
decrease  of  about  sixty-five  per  cent.  The  complete  study  is 
expected  to  form  the  subject  of  a  future  bulletin  of  the  Bureau  of 
American  Ethnology.  (J.  M.)" 

This  is  probably  as  near  correct  as  any  estimate  that  can 
now  be  made. 

There  has  also  been  considerable  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
the  Indian  population  in  comparatively  recent  years.  In  1836, 
the  year  of  the  removal  of  the  Chickasaws  to  the  West,  the 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  reported  the  Indian  population 
as  253,464;  the  United  States  census  for  1850  at  400,764,  though 
for  the  same  year  Schoolcraft  (an  excellent  authority)  put  the 
figure  at  388,229;  for  i860  the  Indian  office  reported  254,300; 
the  United  States  Census  for  1880  at  322,534;  same  for  1890  at 
248,253;  report  of  the  Indian  office  for  1910  at  270,544;  same  for 
1910,  304,950;  same  for  1920  at  336,337.  It  may  be  of  interest 
to  give  the  present  Indian  population  throughout  the  various 
States,  as  given  by  commissioner  Sells  (p.  64)  for  1920  as  follows: 

Alabama 909 

Arizona 42,400 

Arkansas 460 

California 16,241 

Colorado 796 

Connecticut 152 

Delaware 5 

District  of  Columbia 68 

Florida 454 

Georgia 95 

Idaho 4,048 

Illinois 188 

Indiana 279 

Iowa 345 

Kansas 1 ,466 

Kentucky 234 

Louisiana 780 

489 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Maine 892 

Maryland 55 

Massachusetts 688 

Michigan 7,5io 

Minnesota 12,681 

Mississippi 1 ,400 

Missouri 313 

Montana 12,377 

Nebraska 2,461 

Nevada 5,900 

New  Hampshire 34 

New  Jersey 168 

New  Mexico 21 ,530 

New  York 6,432 

North  Carolina 8,268 

North  Dakota 9,018 

Ohio 127 

Oklahoma 1 19,255 

Oregon 6,629 

Pennsylvania 300 

Rhode  Island 284 

South  Carolina 331 

South  Dakota 23,010 

Tennessee 216 

Texas 702 

Utah 3,057 

Vermont 26 

Virginia 539 

Washington 11,114 

West  Virginia 36 

Wisconsin 10,319 

Wyoming 1 ,748 

Total 336,337 

We  thus  have  a  total  of 336,337 

Deduct  the  number  of  negroes 23,405 

Also  intermarried  whites 2,582  25,987 

Which  leaves  Indians  by  blood  in  the  States. .  .  310,350 

Add  the  total  Indians  and  Eskimos  in  Alaska  .  26,231 

Grand  total  Indians  and  Eskimos 336,581 

490 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

In  a  letter  to  me  of  March  n,  192 1,  from  L.  A.  Kalbach, 
acting  Commissioner  of  Education,  it  is  stated  that  the  Eskimos 
fringe  the  shores  of  Bering  Sea  and  the  Arctic  Ocean,  the  Eskimos 
being  very  different  from  the  Indian  population,  which  he 
divides  into  three  separate  and  distinct  races  as  follows:  The 
Athabascans,  who  live  on  the  interior  watersheds  of  the  Yukon, 
Kuskokwim,  and  Copper  Rivers;  the  Aleuts,  who  occupy  the 
Aleutian  chain  of  islands  which  project  far  towards  Asia,  dividing 
the  Pacific  Ocean  from  Bering  Sea;  and  the  Thlinkets,  who  dwell 
in  the  Sitkan  Archipelago,  constituting  the  most  southern  of  the 
Alaskan  Indians.  I  regret  that  Mr.  Kalbach  was  unable  to  give 
me  the  numbers  in  each  group  separately,  or  even  the  number  of 
Eskimos  separately,  his  only  available  information  being  that  the 
"native"  population  of  Alaska  according  to  the  census  of  1920 
was  26,231. 

According  to  the  report  of  Thomas  Riggs,  Jr.,  Governor  of 
Alaska  for  1920  (p.  59),  the  nations  of  Alaska  can  be  developed 
so  as  to  become  a  great  factor  in  the  economic  life  of  the  Territory, 
there  being  now  found  among  them  in  the  southern  part  of 
Alaska  clergymen,  teachers,  merchants,  and  navigators,  while 
others  own  their  homes  and  fishing  vessels,  and  a  few  are  com- 
paratively wealthy.  The  other  natives  of  Alaska  have  not  im- 
proved so  fast,  due  in  a  great  measure  to  the  inaccessibility  of 
their  homes,  though  the  Eskimos  who  inhabit  the  Yukon  delta, 
Seward  Peninsula,  and  the  Arctic  coast  are  being  rapidly  develop- 
ed through  school  facilities  for  the  young,  and  reindeer  herding 
for  the  adults.  In  1892,  and  continuing  for  ten  years,  1,280  rein- 
deer, through  the  initiative  of  Dr.  Sheldon  Jackson,  were  im- 
ported by  the  government  from  Siberia  to  Alaska,  and  these  had 
increased,  according  to  the  opinion  of  Governor  Riggs  (p.  63),  in 
1820,  to  180,000,  while  others  estimated  the  number  at  200,000, 
and  large  quantities  of  reindeer  meat  are  now  shipped  to  the 
States,  there  finding  a  ready  market,  with  the  confident  belief 
that  Arctic  America  will  eventually  prove  one  of  the  important 
areas  for  the  meat  supply  of  the  States. 

491 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

To  those  who  may  desire  further  particulars  of  these  far- 
away native  Americans,  their  country,  its  game,  and  other 
resources,  I  refer  them  to  the  report  of  Governor  Riggs  and  Bulle- 
tin 1919,  No.  40,  Work  of  the  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  Natives 
of  Alaska,  191J-IQ18. 

It  may  be  noted,  however,  that  the  most  important  Alaskan 
industry  is  that  of  its  fisheries,  salmon  being  the  most  important, 
but  large  quantities  of  halibut,  herring,  cod,  whales,  clams, 
trout  and  miscellaneous  fish  are  taken,  the  normal  value  approxi- 
mating $50,000,000,  but  owing  to  over-fishing  this  great  national 
asset  is  seriously  menaced. 

Some  fifteen  years  ago  the  fur  seal  herd  of  the  Pribilof  group 
of  Islands  in  Bering  Sea,  and  especially  on  St.  Paul  and  St. 
George  Islands,  was  on  the  verge  of  extinction,  owing  to  indis- 
criminate pelagic  sealing;  but  after  many  years  of  international 
diplomacy  measures  of  protection  were  adopted,  by  which  the 
herd  of  fur  seals  has  increased  to  approximately  525,000  animals, 
yielding  the  government  a  net  annual  sum  of  approximately 
$3,000,000. 

The  fisheries  now  need  drastic  measures  similar  to  those  that 
saved  the  fur  seal  from  extinction;  and  the  sea  otter,  whose  fur 
is  most  highly  prized,  is  now  near  extinction,  only  one  pelt  being 
reported  as  taken  from  a  body  found  dead,  valued  at  $300. 

The  average  values  of  some  other  pelts  are  as  follows: 
black  fox,  $150.00;  blue  fox,  $130.00;  blue  Pribilof  Island  fox, 
$195.31;  cross  fox,  $35.00;  silver  gray  fox,  $55-335  white  fox, 
$46.00;  white  Pribilof  Island  fox,  $55.33;  glacier  bear,  $30.00: 
land  otter,  $25.00;  lynx,  $42.00;  mink,  $9.00;  martin,  $32.00; 
fur  seal,  $50.00;  wolf,  $19.00;  arctic  hare,  20  cents,  while  the 
squirrel  pelts  are  at  the  bottom  and  valued  at  3  cents 
only. 

What  is  called  the  Northern  herd  of  caribou  of  approximately 
60,000  animals,  is  reported  as  somewhat  depleted,  owing  to 
over-hunting  by  the  natives,  due  to  a  shortage  of  last  year's 
fishing,  while  what  is  called  the  international  migratory  herd  of 

492 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

300,000  caribou  was  split  into  a  greater  number  of  runs,  possibly 
due  to  mining  activity  on  the  Stewart  River. 


As  stated  above,  the  aggregate  of  336,337  for  the  United 
States,  exclusive  of  Alaska,  contained  23,405  negroes  and  2,582 
intermarried  whites;  and  I  take  it  for  granted  that  in  the  totals 
given  for  the  various  decades,  the  negroes  and  intermarried 
whites  were  also  included  therein. 

Upon  the  whole  it  would  appear  that  many  of  the  Indians 
have  become  to  a  large  extent  adapted  to  their  present 
surroundings  and  environments,  and  are  to  a  certain  extent 
stabilized  in  the  matter  of  health  and  a  reasonable  and 
normal  increase  in  population,  though  it  would  seem  that  the 
full-bloods  are  doomed  to  extinction  at  not  a  very  distant 
day. 

In  the  Handbook  of  American  Indians  (Vol.  II,  p.  285)  the 
current  belief  that  a  half-breed  or  Indian  of  mixed  blood  is  a 
moral  degenerate  is  classed  among  ' 'popular  fallacies";  and  it  is 
declared  that  in  various  parts  of  the  country  there  are  many 
mixed  bloods  of  undoubted  ability  and  of  high  moral  standing, 
and  there  is  no  evidence  to  prove  that  the  low  moral  status  of  the 
average  mixed  bloods  of  the  frontier  is  a  necessary  result  of 
mixture  of  blood,  but  there  is  much  to  indicate  that  it  arises  from 
his  unfortunate  environments. 

This  is  unquestionably  true. 

Official  Washington  vs.  Official  Washington- 
One  of  the  most  difficult  of  all  things  to  obtain  is  correct  in- 
formation. Though  it  may  seem  strange,  this  applies  to  official- 
dom at  Washington  as  well  as  elsewhere.  There  are  thousands 
of  people  in  Washington  holding  sinecure  positions,  and  when  a 
letter  is  sent  there  for  information,  it  usually  is  sent  to  one  of 
these  who  know  little  and  care  less  about  the  importance  of  full 
and  correct  information. 

493 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

About  the  only  way  the  average  citizen  can  receive  attention 
to  inquiries  is  to  approach  officials  through  a  Senator  or  Congress- 
man, and  then  there  is  no  assurance  of  obtaining  precise  informa- 
tion. 

I  spent  considerable  time  in  procuring  the  information  set 
out  above  in  detail  as  to  the  Indian  population  in  the  States  as 
well  as  in  Alaska,  and  was  no  little  surprised  upon  seeing  in  the 
morning  paper  a  dispatch  from  Washington  of  June  23,  192 1, 
stating  that  the  Indian  population  of  the  various  States  was  only 
242,959  as  compared  to  a  reported  Indian  population  in  1 910  of 
265,683. 

Here  is  a  decrease  in  Indian  population  during  the  last 
decade  of  22,724,  of  which  18,876  of  the  decrease  was  reported 
from  Oklahoma. 

The  door  for  fraud  was  wider  open  in  Oklahoma  than  else- 
where. 

As  seen  hereinbefore,  according  to  the  report  from  the  Indian 
Bureau  the  total  Indian  population  in  the  States  in  1920  was 
310,350,  and  deducting  therefrom  242,959,  reported  by  the 
Census  Bureau  of  the  same  date,  we  have  a  discrepancy  of  67,391. 

No  one  pretends  that  in  point  of  fact  there  was  any  such 
decrease  in  the  Indian  population.  The  dispatch  stated  that 
the  decrease  was  probably  due  in  part  to  the  enumeration  as 
Indians  in  19 10,  and  as  whites  in  1920,  of  persons  having  only 
slight  traces  of  Indian  blood,  and  this  is  repeated  in  an  article 
on  the  subject  in  the  Literary  Digest  of  July  9,  1921,  that  being  the 
reason  assigned  at  Washington. 

In  a  letter  to  Senator  Kenneth  McKellar  I  asked  for  specific 
information,  numbering  my  inquiries,  so  as  to  elicit  precise  in- 
formation on  various  matters,  with  a  view  of  getting  at  the  very 
roots  of  this  great  discrepancy,  not  only  between  the  census  re- 
ports of  1 910  and  1920,  but  between  those  reports  and  those  from 
the  Indian  office  set  out  at  large  hereinbefore.  I  received  an 
answer  from  the  Director  of  the  Census,  but  not  full  answers  to 
the  questions  asked.     The  letter  from  the  Director  is  as  follows. 

494 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"Your  letter  of  June  28,  1 921,  addressed  to  Senator  McKellar 
has  been  referred  to  this  bureau  for  reply. 

"According  to  the  returns  of  the  Fourteenth  Census,  taken 
as  of  January  1,  1920,  there  were  242,959  persons  in  continental 
United  States  returned  as  Indians.  This  represents  the  returns 
made  on  the  population  schedules  by  the  census  enumerators, 
who  obtained  the  information,  so  far  as  possible,  from  the  head 
or  some  other  member  of  the  family.  It  is  obviously  impossible 
to  make  the  census  figures  check  to  the  reports  of  the  Indian 
Office.  No  special  schedule  for  Indians  was  used  at  the  Fourteenth 
Census,  as  in  1910,  and  no  data  was  collected  for  Indians  other 
than  that  collected  for  the  population  in  general.  The  enumera- 
tors were  instructed  to  return  persons  as  Indians  who  reported 
themselves  as  such  or  who  were  adjudged  to  be  Indians  in  the 
communities  in  which  they  resided.  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that 
many  persons  with  a  small  per  cent  of  Indian  blood  did  not  re- 
turn themselves  as  Indians  at  the  census. 

"No  inquiries  were  made  at  the  Fourteenth  Census  regarding 
Indians  who  were  freedmen,  per  cent  of  Indian  blood,  or  inter- 
marriage with  whites.  The  children  of  Indians  intermarried  with 
whites  are,  in  most  cases,  reported  as  Indians. 

"According  to  the  returns  of  the  Fourteenth  Census  (1920), 
there  were  26,558  persons  in  Alaska  returned  as  Indians,  of 
whom  13,698  were  reported  as  Eskimos." 

Where  is  there  any  reflecting  person  who  is  willing  to  accept 
from  complacent  Washington  officialdom  the  reasons  put  forth 
for  the  great  and  striking  discrepancies  in  the  various  reports  as 
to  the  Indian  population  in  the  year  1920? 

Evidently  there  are  reasons  therefor. 

These  reasons  are  not  creditable  to  the  whites. 

The  years  preceding  the  census  of  1910  were  the  years  in 
which  the  United  States  tore  up  by  the  roots  every  Indian 
treaty,  thereby  abolishing  the  rights  of  the  Indians  to  hold 
their  land  in  common,  and  compelling  them  to  accept  small 
parts  in  severalty,  the  balance  of  their  property  to  be  sold 
and  the  proceeds  to  be  distributed  per  capita  among  the 
Indians. 

495 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  was  then  enacted  that  in  order  to  ascertain  who  composed 
the  Indians  of  the  various  tribes  to  share  in  the  allotments  to 
be  made  and  to  share  in  the  per  capita  distributions,  rolls  should 
be  made  up  showing  who  were  Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  Cherokees, 
etc.,  and  this  was  done. 

This  opened  a  wide  door  for  whites  to  commit  perjury  in 
order  to  have  themselves  enrolled  as  Indians,  so  that  they  could 
thereby  not  only  have  valuable  land  allotted  to  them  and  their 
families  but  also  get  a  share  of  the  millions  upon  millions  to  be 
distributed  per  capita  among  real  Indians. 

Perjury  is  an  ugly  word. 

I  regret  to  use  it. 

The  government  undertook  to  make  up  these  rolls,  and  on 
the  floor  of  Congress  in  1914  Murray  (p.  42)  charged  that  the 
government  made  a  criminal  ' 'botch"  of  it.  He  explained  that 
there  had  been  admitted  to  the  Chickasaw  and  Choctaw  Indian 
rolls  4,000  fraudulent  claimants  who  secured  a  judgment  in 
their  favor  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  for  $20,- 
000,000  worth  of  property. 

Nearly  every  law  firm  of  ability  in  Oklahoma  was  in  the 
service  of  these  fraudulent  claimants,  but  a  firm  was  finally 
retained  which,  after  seven  years  of  battle,  succeeded  in  the 
almost  impossible  task  of  securing  a  reversal  of  the  previous 
judgment  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  It  seems  that 
one  of  the  main  instrumentalities  by  which  this  result  was 
obtained  was  the  creation  by  Congress  of  a  citizenship  court  to 
purge  these  rolls,  the  result  being  that  of  the  4,000  claimants 
all  were  declared  fraudulent  except  133. 

Space  forbids  further  extensive  details  as  to  other  fraudulent 
paddings  of  other  Indian  rolls,  and  it  is  clear  that  there  was  not 
a  thorough  purging  thereof,  this  being  commonly  reported  and 
believed.  However,  it  may  serve  to  enlighten  the  public  in 
general  to  place  on  record  at  least  one  sample  of  the  manner  in 
which  by  frauds  and  perjuries  white  men  had  themselves  officially 
enrolled  as  Indians. 

496 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

On  page  42  Murray  says: 

"To  illustrate  the  frauds  in  those  cases,  there  is  one  that  I 
remember  distinctly  now,  which  was  admitted  with  eighty-seven 
claimants,  taking  nearly  $400,000  worth  of  property.  When  they 
found  their  written  evidence,  the  testimony  that  they  were 
Indians  was  sworn  to  by  five  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the 
State  of  Arkansas.  Mr.  Cornish  went  to  Arkansas  and  asked 
one  of  the  judges  of  that  State  who  was  supposed  to  have  been  a 
witness,  'What  do  you  know  about  this  testimony'?  The  judge 
ejaculated,  T  never  heard  of  it;  I  never  swore  to  that.'  Then 
Cornish  went  to  a  prominent  lawyer  whose  deposition  was  in  the 
case,  and  that  lawyer  protested,  'I  never  heard  of  it.'  So  with  all 
the  others  of  these  five  witnesses.  Then  he  hunted  up  the  notary 
public  who  had  certified  to  the  depositions  and  jurat,  and  found 
that  the  notary  had  died  five  years  before  the  depositions  were 
taken.  Not  only  the  testimony  but  the  jurat  of  the  notary  public 
were  forged  in  the  office  of  the  lawyer  representing  these  eighty- 
seven  claimants.  The  entire  case  was  manufactured  out  of  blue 
sky.  Of  course,  they  were  wiped  from  the  rolls.  So  with  the 
balance  of  them." 

When  the  fraudulent  claimants  were  stricken  from  the  rolls, 
they,  and  especially  their  many  hungry  lawyers,  set  up  a  howl  as 
they  saw  millions  slipping  from  them,  and  even  the  paper  of  a 
United  States  Senator,  wittingly  or  unwittingly,  joined  in  the 
systematic  propaganda,  charging  that  the  court  had  been  bribed. 
That  court  was  composed  of  Judge  Adams  of  North  Carolina, 
Judge  Weaver  of  Ohio,  and  Judge  Foote,  of  California,  and  it 
became  the  duty  of  the  court  to  fix  the  fee  of  Mansfield,  Mc- 
Murray,  and  Cornish,  attorneys  who  succeeded  in  purging  the 
rolls  then  under  review,  and  their  fee  was  fixed  at  $750,000,  or 
four  and  one-half  per  cent  of  the  amounts  saved  their  clients, 
whereas  the  fraudulent  claimants  had  agreed  to  pay  their 
attorneys,  in  case  of  success,  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  per  cent 
of  the  anticipated  recoveries. 

So  widespread  and  bold  became  this  insolent  propaganda 
that  a  libel  suit  was  instituted,  and  it  is  almost  needless  to  say 

497 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

that  the  cause  of  the  fraudulent  claimants  and  their  attorneys 
went  down  in  defeat. 

If  any  one  should  suppose,  however,  that  this  defeat  put  an 
end  to  systematic  efforts  to  reopen  and  pad  Indian  rolls,  then 
he  could  scarcely  be  more  mistaken;  but  this  is  another 
story. 

Raids  on  the  rolls  of  all  other  Indians  were  made,  supported 
by  perjuries  and  subornation  of  perjuries,  and  from  this  class 
of  whites  such  expressions  as  "there  is  no  good  Indian  except  a 
dead  Indian,"  have  their  origin. 

As  seen  above,  4,000  whites  (less  133)  succeeded  not  only  in 
having  themselves  enrolled  as  Indians  but  in  hoodwinking  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court,  the  greatest  tribunal  in  the 
world,  into  solemnly  declaring  that  they  were  Indians;  that  is  to 
say,  adjudging  that  white  was  red. 

Every  one  of  these  whites,  as  well  as  all  other  fraudulent 
whites,  the  exact  number  of  whom  will  never  be  known,  were 
enrolling  themselves  as  Indians,  and,  of  course,  the  Indian 
Commissioner  could  but  report  them  as  Indians,  whatever  his 
private  opinion  may  have  been. 

In  order  to  make  a  showing  in  keeping  with  the  farce  that 
was  being  enacted,  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  these 
fraudulent  claimants  returned  themselves  as  Indians  when  the 
census  of  19 10  was  taken. 

By  the  time  the  1920  census  was  reached,  the  opportunity 
had  passed  when  by  perjuries  these  whites  could  amass  a  fortune 
overnight  by  reporting  themselves  as  Indians;  and  no  doubt 
thousands,  either  themselves  or  through  members  of  their 
families,  as  was  permitted  by  the  census  office,  truly  returned 
themselves  as  whites.    Here  no  oath  was  required. 

Having  succeeded  in  having  their  names  enrolled  in  the 
Indian  office  by  perjury  and  subornation  of  perjury,  a  much 
greater  difficulty  confronted  fraudulent  claimants,  and  doubt- 
less they  were  less  free  to  declare  the  truth  when  faced  by  former 
oaths.  This  explains,  at  least  in  part,  the  great  difference  between 

498 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  census  report  of  the  Indian  population  and  that  made  by  the 
Indian  office. 

The  1920  Official  Census  report  is  doubtless  approximately 
correct ;  and  who  doubts  that  the  great  apparent  decrease  in  the 
Indian  population,  in  the  decade  preceding  1920,  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  thousands  of  white  men  were  fraudulently  enrolled  and 
had  reported  themselves  as  Indians? 

If  any  doubt  lingers  as  to  whether  the  proper  deductions 
have  been  drawn  as  to  the  reasons  for  the  apparent  decrease  in 
the  Indian  population,  then  I  think  that  lingering  doubt  will 
disappear  when  the  Indian  and  Eskimo  populations  of  Alaska, 
as  reported  by  the  Census  Bureau  for  1920,  is  compared  with  the 
returns  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  for  Alaska,  under 
whose  jurisdiction  this  matter  comes. 

In  Alaska  a  white  man  could  not  get  rich  overnight  by 
swearing  he  was  an  Indian,  hence  there  was  no  temptation  to 
perjury;  and  what  do  we  find? 

The  Official  Census  for  1920  shows  the  combined 

Indian  and  Eskimo  population  for  Alaska 26,558 

The  Bureau  of  Education  for  the  same  period 
reports  the  combined  Indian  and  Eskimo 
population 26,231 


327 
The  census  office  actually  reports  327  more  natives  in  Alaska 
than  does  the  Board  of  Education. 

As  stated  above,  the  door  for  fraud  was  wider  open  in  Okla- 
homa than  anywhere  else,  and  we  are  scarcely  surprised  to  read 
that  of  the  "reported"  decrease  in  the  Indian  population  of  22,724 
in  the  decade  from  1910  to  1920,  18,876  of  this  decrease  occurred 
in  Oklahoma. 

Doubtless  the  official  report  of  the  census  office  for  1920  is 
approximately  correct;  and  taking  that  as  a  basis  the  number  of 
native  aboriginal  Americans  may  be  thus  stated: 

499 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Indians  in  the  various  States  of   the   Union.  ..  .242,959 

Indians  in  Alaska 12,860 

Eskimos  in  Alaska 13,698 

Total  aborigines  in  the  States  and  Alaska 269,517 

I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  there  were  more  Eskimos  than 
Indians  in  Alaska. 

If  we  deduct  from  the  number  of  aborigines  as  reported  by 
the  Indian  office  and  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  Alaska,  which 
we  have  seen  aggregate  336,581,  the  aggregate  as  reported  by 
the  census  office,  269,517,  we  have  a  discrepancy  of  67,064. 

The  Present  General  Condition  of  the  Indians — 

Closely  connected  with  the  present  population  of  the 
various  Indian  tribes  there  arises  the  inquiry  as  to  the  present 
general  conditions  that  surround  our  Indians;  and  upon  this 
important  inquiry  it  is  encouraging  to  read  from  the  1920  report 
(p.  10)  of  Commissioner  Sells  as  follows: 

The  Indian's  industrial  progress  is  especially  noteworthy. 

"Their  individual  funds  on  deposit  have  increased  in  the 
last  eight  years  in  excess  of  $20,000,000.  During  that  period 
they  have  expended  for  homes  and  modern  farm  implements 
$18,000,000,  and  have  added  $13,000,000  to  their  capital  in 
live  stock. 

"The  Indian's  transformation  from  a  game  hunter  and  wan- 
derer to  a  settled  landholder  and  home  builder  is  everywhere 
evident.  Nearly  37,000  Indian  farmers  are  cultivating  almost  a 
million  acres,  47,000  are  engaged  in  stock  raising,  and  their 
live  stock  is  worth  close  to  $38,000,000.  Their  last  year's  income 
from  the  sale  of  crops  and  live  stock  was  approximately  $14,- 
000,000.  The  Indians  are  dependable  wageworkers.  Their 
annual  earnings  in  public  and  private  service  exceed  $3,000,000. 
Their  number  receiving  rations  and  supplies  not  paid  for  in 
labor  has  decreased  one-half  in  the  last  seven  years. 

"There  are  not  many  defenders  of  the  earlier  processes  of 
treaty  making  and  treaty  breaking,  but  the  constructive  plan, 
followed  now  for  nearly  a  third  of  a  century,  of  allotting  the 

500 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

Indians  land  in  severalty,  of  conducting  hospitals  and  schools 
for  physical  and  mental  betterment,  and  providing  them  guid- 
ance in  the  productive  use  of  the  soil  and  its  related  industries, 
if  not  a  perfect  one,  is  the  best  plan  yet  devised  for  a  dependent 
people,  and  is  amply  justified  by  results." 

Commissioner  Sells  deserves  commendation  for  resolutely 
opposing,  during  his  eight  years  as  Indian  Commissioner,  the 
exploiting  of  Indians  at  fairs  or  shows,  by  having  them  dressed 
fantastically*  and  engaging  them  in  weird  dances  and  the  like 
for  the  amusement  of  the  passing  throng. 

There  is  much  in  the  native  life  and  primeval  characteristics 
of  the  North  American  Indians  that  is  worthy  of  preservation, 
and  these  will  be  preserved,  but  not  by  exploiting  the  Indians, 
indicated  above. 

It  is  wrong  to  take  the  unthinking  Indian  away  from  his 
family  and  friends  to  make  up  the  so-called  Wild  West  Shows,  in 
order  to  garner  in  a  few  dollars  for  the  white  showman.  It  is  far 
better  for  the  Indian  to  remain  at  home  with  his  family,  care  for 
them,  his  stock,  and  his  farm,  than  to  wander  over  the  country, 
living  apparently  in  an  uncivilized  condition,  thereby  turning 
his  thoughts  and  aspirations  rather  to  the  past  than  to  the 
future,  where  his  final  destiny  is  to  be  wrought  out. 

Children  in  School- 
Commissioner  Sells  for  1920  (p.  44)  reports  that  of  the  twenty 
thousand  children  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  who  attended 
school  seventeen  thousand  were  in  the  public  schools,  and  all 
were  encouraged  to  enter  these  schools  as  an  effective  agency  for 
shaping  their  lives  along  correct  lines  of  citizenship.  But  we 
learn  from  the  report  of  A.  S.  Wyly,  Supervisor,  etc.,  attached  to 
the  report  of  Gabe  E.  Parker  (p.  46)  for  1920,  that,  on  account 
of  the  innate  timidity  and  reticence  of  many  of  the  Indian  chil- 
dren, and  I  take  it  especially  of  the  full-bloods,  that  the  tribal 
boarding  schools  still  have  a  distinct  field  of  usefulness  not 
covered  by  the  public  schools. 

501 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

This  is  a  matter  of  great  importance  and  should  always  be 
borne  in  mind.  It  would  be  worse  than  useless  to  endeavor  to 
force  these  innately  reticent  and  timid  children  into  the  public 
schools.  Racial  characteristics  can  not  be  thus  broken  down,  but 
instead  the  possibilities  of  future  development  of  the  Indian 
child  would  be  destroyed. 

In  reference  to  the  boarding  schools  Wiley  (p.  45)  says: 

'The  boarding  schools  are  maintained  only  in  the  Five 
Tribes  for  the  education  of  Indian  children  exclusively.  Eight 
private,  State,  and  denominational  schools  have  contracts  for 
the  education  of  602  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  Indian  pupils,  but 
these  schools  also  enroll  white  children.  The  public  schools  are 
open  to  all  Indian  children."     *    *    * 

And  on  the  next  page  (46),  in  reference  to  academic  and 
industrial  instruction,  he  further  reports: 

"The  course  of  study  adopted  in  191 5  for  Indian  schools  is 
in  use,  with  some  modifications  to  meet  local  conditions,  at  the 
tribal  boarding  schools.  The  course  combines  in  a  practical  way 
academic  and  industrial  training  and  instruction  and  is  designed 
to  prepare  Indian  boys  and  girls  to  meet  the  everyday  problems  of 
life, to  make  them  self-reliant  and  self-helpful,  and  to  assist  them 
to  assume  the  duties  and  obligations  of  American  citizenship. 

"At  schools  where  girls  are  enrolled,  there  are  facilities  for 
teaching  sewing,  cooking,  laundering,  nursing,  and  home  making. 
With  the  exception  of  Cherokee  and  Bloomfield,  separate  cottages 
are  provided  for  this  work.  The  boys  are  taught  farming,  stock 
raising,  dairying,  carpentry,  etc.,  with  special  emphasis  on 
farming  and  allied  subjects.  Carpenter  shops  are  provided,  and, 
while  the  industrial  equipment  generally  is  not  all  that  is  desired, 
it  is  sufficient  for  substantial  compliance  with  the  requirements  of 
the  course  of  study. 

"Attention  is  called  to  the  table  submitted  herewith  giving 
information  concerning  the  boarding  schools.  There  were  1 ,409 
children  enrolled,  with  836  full-bloods  and  288  others  of  one-half 
Indian  blood  or  more.  The  average  attendance  was  1,060,  and 
44  pupils  completed  the  course  of  study.    The  tribal  boarding 

502 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

schools  still  have  a  distinct  field  of  usefulness,  as  they  are  in  the 
main  accommodating  Indian  children  who  do  not  have  first-class 
school  facilities  at  their  homes  and  who,  on  account  of  their 
innate  timidity  and  reticent  disposition,  would  perhaps  not 
attend  public  schools  where  white  children  are  in  the  majority. 
The  course  of  study  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  economic  needs 
of  the  Indian,  and  affords  instruction  and  training  that  could  not 
be  obtained  in  the  average  rural  school.  The  boarding  schools 
should  be  continued  as  long  as  there  are  available  tribal  funds." 

Upon  reading  the  report  of  the  Supervisor,  A.  S.  Wyly 
(p.  49),  it  appeared  that  in  the  eleven  counties  of  the  Chickasaw 
nation,  3,082  Chickasaw  children  were  accounted  for,  apparently 
as  in  the  common  schools;  and  seeing  in  other  places  that  there 
were  Chickasaw  children  in  tribal  boarding  schools,  non-reserva- 
tion and  contract  schools,  I  wrote  the  supervisor  and  received 
from  him  a  letter  of  February  23,  192 1,  in  which  he  states  that 
the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  are  closely  associated,  and  that, 
in  his  opinion,  from  the  above  aggregate  of  3,082  children,  there 
should  be  deducted  582,  as  representing  approximately  Choctaw 
children  embraced  therein,  thus  leaving  2,500  as  the  school 
population  of  Chickasaw  children  between  the  ages  of  six  and 
twenty-one  years;  and  that  of  this  number  he  estimated  that 
there  are  enrolled. 

In  the  public  schools  about 2,050 

Add  to  this  number  (in  public  schools) : 

Chickasaw  children  in  tribal  boarding  schools  ...  137 

Chickasaw  children  in  nonreservation  schools  .  .  27 

Chickasaw  children  in  contract  schools 209 

Total  Chickasaw  Indians  in  school 2,423 

This,  I  presume,  is  approximately  correct,  and  if  so,  it  makes 
a  good  showing. 

Mr.  Wyly  estimates  that  of  all  the  Chickasaw  Indians  not 
exceeding  twelve  or  fifteen  per  cent  are  unable  to  speak  English ; 
while  Reford  Bond  writes: 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

"In  my  judgment  every  Chickasaw  in  Oklahoma  can 
speak  some  English  when  moved  by  the  proper  spirit,  and  about 
ninety  per  cent  of  the  Chickasaws  have  a  fairly  good  English 
vocabulary." 

Christianity  and  the  Chickasaws— 

Draper  well  observes, 

"No  spectacle  can  be  presented  to  the  thoughtful  mind  more 
solemn,  more  mournful  than  that  of  the  dying  of  an  ancient 
religion,  which  in  its  day  has  given  consolation  to  many  genera- 
tions of  men." 

As  fidelity  was  one  of  the  outstanding  characteristics  of  the 
Chickasaws,  we  are  not  surprised  that  they  did  not  readily 
relinquish  their  ancient  faith,  but  clung  to  its  consolations  long 
after  the  white  man  had  invaded,  and  many  of  them  had  settled 
and  lived  among  them  for  years.  The  conversation  between 
John  Wesley  and  the  young  Chickasaw  chief  Paustoobee,  in  1736, 
is  set  out  in  full  in  the  eighth  chapter,  and  it  will  be  recalled  that 
when  Mr.  Wesley  asked  the  young  chief  whether  the  Chickasaws 
desired  a  missionary  to  visit  and  teach  them  the  Christian 
religion,  Paustoobee  very  frankly  said  no;  adding  that  they  were 
then  at  war  and  did  not  know  whether  they  would  survive  or  not, 
but  in  case  peace  returned,  they  would  be  glad  to  be  taught. 

The  Chickasaws  had  just  fought  Bienville  in  the  battle  of 
Ackia,  and  six  days  prior  thereto  had  defeated  D'Artaguette,  and 
the  war,  as  we  know,  was  by  no  means  at  an  end,  but  lasted  for 
years. 

According  to  Haman  (10  Pub.  Miss.  Hist.  Soc,  p.  212)  Rev. 
Joseph  Bullen,  of  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  was  the  first  minister 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Chickasaws,  having  been  sent  out  by 
the  Presbyterian  Missionary  Board  of  New  York,  in  1779,  as  a 
missionary  to  the  Chickasaws,  to  serve  one  year  only,  which  he 
did.  He  then  received  a  second  com^iission  for  a  term  of  three 
years,  and  about  the  middle  of  March,  1800,  he  set  out  with  his 

504 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

wife  and  children  from  Windham  County,  Vermont,  on  his  long 
and  perilous  journey,  and  at  Bedford,  Pennsylvania,  several  of 
his  family  were  taken  sick,  and  one  daughter  just  blooming  into 
womanhood  passed  from  the  cares  and  hardships  of  the  wilderness 
to  that  reward  for  which  the  father  had  dedicated  himself  and 
family.  No  one  can  contemplate  without  feelings  of  admiration 
that  long  line  of  godly  men  and  women  who,  forsaking  all  the 
comforts  and  pleasures  of  civilized  society,  traversed  the  wilds 
of  America  to  endure  the  hardships  and  discomforts  of  the  wilder- 
ness, often  at  the  cost  of  life  itself,  in  order  that  they  might  point 
the  untutored  Indians  to  the  life  of  Jesus,  that  thereby  they  might 
be  led  upward  and  heavenward. 

Their  only  recompense  was  a  consciousness  that  they  were 
serving  their  Lord  and  the  consolations  of  that  religious  faith  and 
those  Christian  graces  which,  under  all  temporal  ills,  ever  sustain 
the  faithful  Christian  and  adorn  the  pathway  of  his  earthly 
pilgrimage. 

But  for  these  godly  lives,  and  those  also  of  many  laymen, 
some  of  them  government  officials,  who  practiced  in  their  lives 
the  precepts  they  taught,  the  Indians  would  never  have  embraced 
Christianity,  the  teachings  of  which  were  so  often  the  very 
antithesis  of  the  treatment  they  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
whites. 

The  Reverend  Bullen  reached  the  Chickasaws  and  preached 
to  them,  but  his  term  having  expired,  there  was  an  hiatus  in 
religious  efforts  for  the  Chickasaws  until  the  year  1819,  when  the 
synod  of  South  Carolina  resolved  to  send  the  Gospel  to  the  South- 
western Indians,  and  sent  out  Rev.  David  Humphries  and  Rev. 
Thomas  C.  Stuart,  the  latter  then  a  young  licentiate,  and  they 
finally  reached  the  Chickasaws ;  but  Humphries  concluded  he  was 
unfitted  for  the  work.  Not  so  with  Stuart,  who  put  on  the  whole 
armor  in  the  service  of  his  Master;  and  in  1820  the  Chickasaws  in 
council  assembled  granted  permission  to  him  to  establish  a 
mission  among  them,  and  the  new  king,  Ishtehotopa,  granted 
a  charter  to  that  effect.     In  January,  1821,  Mr.  Stuart  selected 

505 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

the  place  to  establish  his  permanent  mission  on  the  Chickasaw 
Trail,  eight  or  nine  miles  south  of  the  present  Pontotoc,  Missis- 
sippi, and  named  it  Monroe  Mission,  in  honor  of  the  then  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  Houses  were  built,  a  farm  opened,  a 
school  established  and  the  Gospel  was  preached  to  the  Indians 
with  much  success,  though  the  preaching  was  through  an  in- 
terpreter. 

Stuart  continued  his  work  among  the  Chickasaws  until  their 
removal  west  in  1836,  and  feeling  a  longing  to  be  with  and  minis- 
ter to  them  again,  he  visited  their  country  in  the  West  in  1856; 
and  after  his  return  he  stated  that  he  had  an  exceedingly  pleasant 
visit,  but  not  unmingled  with  sad  reflections,  as  so  many  with  whom 
he  had  gone  to  the  house  of  God  in  happier  days  had  long  since 
passed  away.  Stuart  was  universally  respected  and  loved  by 
both  the  Indians  and  whites,  and  was  affectionately  called 
Father  Stuart;  he  lived  until  his  ninetieth  year,  passing  from 
time  to  eternity  and  his  heavenly  reward  in  Tupelo,  Mississippi, 
in  1883.  His  ashes  were  carried  to  and  interred  in  the  old 
Chickasaw  cemetery  near  Pontotoc,  Mississippi,  there  to  rest, 
side  by  side  with  the  mortal  remains  of  his  red  brethren,  whom 
he  had  served  so  long,  and  who  loved  him  so  well,  some  account 
of  which  may  be  seen  in  Chapter  XII,  ante. 

According  to  Love  (11  Pub.  Miss.  Hist.  Soc,  p.  401),  among 
others  who  were  missionaries  to  the  Chickasaws  may  be  men- 
tioned Rev.  William  C.  Blair  and  Mrs.  Blair,  1823- 1830;  Rev. 
Hugh  Wilson  and  Mrs.  Wilson,  1823-1835;  Rev.  James  Holmes 
and  Mrs.  Sara  V.  Holmes,  1824- 1833;  while  the  assistant  mis- 
sionaries were  Prudence  Wilson,  1822-1835;  Emeline  H.  Rich- 
mond, 1825-1833;  Samuel  C.  Pearson  and  Mrs.  Pearson,  1828- 
1829;  and  John  L.  Mosby,  1831-1833. 

We  also  learn  from  Miss  Abel  {Slaveholders  and  Secession- 
ists, pp.  41  and  42)  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  had  a  strong  membership 
among  the  Chickasaws,  and  Reford  Bond  writes  that  at  the 
present   time   the   Methodists,    Presbyterians,    Baptists,    Chris- 

506 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

tians,  and  Catholics  are  all  represented  among  the  Chickasaws 
and  we  may  conclude  that  practically  all  of  them  have  embraced 
the  Christian  religion. 

It  may  be  mentioned  that  the  Reverend  James  Holmes, 
D.  D.,  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Sara  V.  Holmes,  moved  to  and  lived  in 
Tipton  County,  Tennessee,  for  many  years,  leaving  a  consider- 
able posterity,  they  being  the  grandparents  of  the  late  noted 
lawyer  Holmes  Cummins,  and  of  Embry  R.  Holmes,  now  and  for 
years  past  a  writer  upon  the  staff  of  the  Commercial  Appeal. 

Chickasaw  and  Choctaw  Claim  vs.  United  States— 

A  reproduced  photograph  of  Governor  Douglass  H.  John- 
ston can  be  seen  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  and  as  shown 
hereinbefore  he  was  the  last  governor  elected  by  the  Chickasaw 
people,  and  he  has  been  retained  in  office  for  many  years,  under 
the  title  of  governor,  to  represent  the  Chickasaw  people  in  the 
many  complicated  and  important  questions  which  arise  from 
time  to  time.     He  has  proven  a  wise  counselor. 

Neither  space  or  a  history  of  the  Chickasaws  will  admit  of 
any  sketch  of  his  activities;  but  some  time  since  he  issued  a 
message  of  the  deepest  interest  to  the  Chickasaw  and  Choctaw 
nations,  and  as  it  seems  to  me  very  meritorious,  I  will  give  a 
summary  of  the  claim  which  he  has  presented  with  force  on  behalf 
of  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  against  the  United  States, 
arising  under  the  treaty  of  1866,  which  is  treated  at  large  herein- 
before. 

The  claim  arises  in  particular  under  the  third  article  of  that 
treaty  which  is  quoted  in  haec  verba  in  the  chapter  referred  to; 
wherefore  it  is  only  necessary  here  to  give  a  summary  of  the 
claim. 

By  the  treaty  of  1866  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  ceded 
certain  lands  to  the  United  States  for  certain  specified  purposes ; 
that  is,  for  the  settlement  thereon  of  friendly  Indians,  some  of 
whom  were  being  forced  out  of  Kansas  by  the  rising  tide  of  white 
emigration,  and  their  settlement  there  would  aid  them  and  the 

507 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

whites  settling  in  the  places  from  which  such  Indians  were  re- 
moved. 

The  treaty  also  provided  for  the  fund  of  $300,000  heretofore 
discussed,  and  which  was  to  be  held  by  the  United  States  in 
trust,  and  to  be  used  to  remove  the  freedmen  in  these  two  nations, 
in  case  they  were  removed ;  but  if  the  tribes  adopted  their  freed- 
men as  members  thereof,  then  the  $300,000  was  to  go  to  the  tribes. 

As  we  know,  the  Chickasaws  refused  to  adopt  their  former 
slaves,  and  while  there  is  some  question  made  as  to  the  adoption 
of  the  freedmen  by  the  Choctaws,  still  the  freedmen  were  in  point 
of  fact  never  removed,  and  the  Chickasaws  never  received  any 
part  of  the  $300,000.  The  claim  of  the  Chickasaws  is  that  the 
conveyance  of  the  lands  in  question  was  in  the  nature  of  a  lease, 
and  that  while  the  treaty  uses  the  word  "ceded,"  that  the  Indians 
did  not  understand  that  "ceded"  was  used  in  its  technical  sense; 
the  undisposed  part  of  these  lands  by  the  Indians  now  aggregate 
some  6,000,000  acres  which  were  disposed  of  by  the  United  States 
to  white  settlers,  from  whom  they  received  many  millions  of 
dollars,  and  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws  have  a  righteous 
claim  against  the  United  States  therefor. 

In  support  of  the  claim  it  is  pointed  out  that  certain  friendly 
Indians  settled  on  a  part  of  the  "ceded"  land,  and  that  Congress, 
recognizing  the  equity  of  the  tribes,  appropriated  money  to 
compensate  the  Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  the  land  being 
described  as  "leased  district,"  thus  showing  that  Congress  under- 
stood the  wording  of  the  treaty  to  mean  precisely  what  the  In- 
dians have  always  claimed  they  understood  its  meaning  to  be. 

The  claim  of  the  Indians  was  presented  to  the  Court  of 
Claims,  which  decided  the  case  in  favor  of  the  Indians;  but  on 
appeal  to  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  the  decision  of  the 
lower  court  was  reversed,  it  would  seem,  upon  the  technical 
meaning  of  the  word  "cede."  However,  the  right  of  the  case  was 
so  apparent  that,  in  its  opinion,  the  court  said  further  that  an 
equitable  claim  on  behalf  of  the  Indians  could  be  presented  to  Con- 
gress, and  this  is  the  object  of  the  appeal  of  Governor  Johnston. 

508 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

It  would  seem  that  when  this  claim  is  finally  to  be  passed 
upon  by  Congressmen  who  are  in  no  way  responsible  for  mis- 
treatment of  the  Chickasaws  by  their  predecessors,  Congress 
should  remember : 

(i)  That  the  warlike  and  intrepid  Chickasaws  never  shed 
the  blood  of  a  man  who  spoke  the  English  tongue,  but  that  un- 
ceasingly they  fought  by  his  side  against  all  comers,  Spanish, 
French,  and  all  hostile  tribes;  and  especially  remember  the  blood 
they  shed  and  the  sacrifices  they  made  to  win  this  continent  for 
those  who  speak  the  English  language. 

(2)  That  they  were  forced  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  to 
become  exiles  from  their  homes  east  of  the  Mississippi,  which 
they  in  a  great  measure  won  for  our  race,  and  that  promises  and 
guarantees  were  so  lavishly  given  and  so  faithlessly  broken. 

(3)  The  tragic  circumstances  under  which  the  treaty  of 
1866  was  forced  upon  them  under  threats  of  confiscation  and 
other  dire  punishments,  and  that  the  small  modicum  of  justice 
to  the  Indians  therein  contained  was  only  obtained  after  a  long 
and  seemingly  hopeless  struggle,  through  the  aid  of  counsel,  at 
a  cost  to  them  in  money  of  $750,000,  poor  as  they  were. 

(4)  That  Congress  itself  has  recognized  that  the  Indians 
understood  that  this  land  was  "leased,"  and  not  "ceded";  that 
the  Supreme  and  other  Courts  have  said  thousands  of  times  that 
an  Indian  treaty  must  be  interpreted  as  meaning  precisely  what 
the  Indians  understood  it  to  mean,  and  not  otherwise;  and  that 
the  Indians  understood  it  to  mean  that  the  land  was  merely 
"leased,"  and  not  "ceded." 

(5)  That  while  the  Supreme  Court  decided  against  the 
Indians,  still  the  Court  of  Claims,  composed  of  learned  lawyers, 
decided  in  favor  of  the  Indians;  and  that  even  the  Supreme 
Court  recognized  the  propriety  of  Congress  affording  the  identical 
relief  now  prayed  for  by  the  Indians. 


509 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  WORLD-WIDE  WAR;  AND  HEREIN  OF  OTIS  W.  LEADER 

The  law  of  compensation  runs  like  a  thread  through  all 
the  activities  of  mankind,  and  in  war  as  well  as  in  peace,  though 
we  do  not  often  bear  this  in  mind.  The  late  world-wide  war,  the 
most  stupendous,  and  in  many  respects  the  most  atrocious, 
forms  no  exception  to  the  general  law  of  compensation,  at  least 
in  so  far  as  the  North  American  Indian  was  concerned. 

Though  a  conquered  and  subject  race,  still  their  wills  are 
unconquered,  and  it  may  be  added  in  many  cases  unconquerable, 
and  this,  coupled  with  a  serenity  of  mind  and  temperament 
characteristic  of  the  race,  together  with  a  courage  worthy  of 
profound  admiration,  won  for  them  an  enviable  record  not  sur- 
passed by  any  race  which  participated  in  the  great  conflict. 

We  can  not  deny  that  there  are  many  things  in  the  history 
of  the  treatment  of  the  Indians  by  our  government  which  the 
Indians  have  just  cause  to  resent;  and  likewise  there  are  many 
reasons  why  they  should  not  love  the  white  man  and  his  govern- 
ment. Nevertheless,  the  Indian  usually  does  not  lose  his  poise, 
and  it  became  apparent  to  them  that  what  menaced  the  white 
man  menaced  them  also  and  their  well  being;  in  short,  that  their 
destiny  was  wrapped  up  in  the  destiny  of  all  Americans,  and 
without  hesitation  they  threw  themselves  and  all  they  had  or 
held  dear  into  the  great  conflict,  cheerfully  enlisting  and  going 
abroad  to  strangle  autocracy  on  foreign  soil.  Those  who  have 
read  this  sketch  attentively  will  not  be  surprised  at  this,  for,  of 
all  men,  probably  the  Chickasaws  were  excelled  by  none  in  their 
contempt  for  class  distinctions.  They  had  no  leaders  except 
those  who  won  leadership  by  deeds  of  daring  or  otherwise;  and 
even  in  council  the  greatest  leader  had  only  his  own  vote,  while 

510 


SERGEANT  OTIS  W.  LEADER 

A  young  Chickasaw  who  was  decorated  for  distinguished  services  in  action  in  the 

World  War,  and  whose  portrait  was  painted  by  order  of  the  French 

Government  as  a  typical  aboriginal  American 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

out  of  council  he  was  treated  precisely  like  other  members  of 
the  tribe,  for  they  detested  sycophancy,  and  when  a  distinguished 
leader  passed  from  time  to  eternity,  there  was  no  such  foolish 
law  as  that  his  heirs  would  inherit  his  honors  or  title.  It  did  not 
take  the  Indian  long  to  see  which  was  the  right  side  or  where  his 
duty  called  him,  and  we  are  not  surprised  to  read  that  ten  thous- 
and Indians  were  in  the  service,  the  most  of  them  enlisting  as 
volunteers,  not  waiting  for  conscription. 

Their  subscriptions  to  the  various  Liberty  loans,  Victory 
loans,  etc.,  approximating  $25,000,000,  certainly  is  a  good  show- 
ing in  this  respect;  they  likewise  organized  branches  of  the  Red 
Cross,  and  formed  knitting  and  sewing  societies,  all  these  activi- 
ties extending  to  far-away  Alaska. 

It  was  wisely  ordered  that,  in  entering  the  service,  Indians 
must  not  form  separate  companies  or  commands,  but  must 
enlist  along  with  white  troops  upon  an  equal  footing  in  all 
respects.  The  unanimous  testimony  of  all  Indian  agents,  school 
superintendents,  and  those  in  authority  throughout  the  country 
is  to  the  effect  that  the  experience  of  the  Indians,  serving  side 
by  side  with  the  whites,  was  the  best  possible  training  that 
they  could  have  received.  Thus,  instances  are  given  where  full- 
bloods  entered  the  service  unable  to  speak  English,  but  returned 
home  with  a  good  English  vocabulary,  while  the  timid  gained 
confidence  and  a  soldierly  bearing  of  the  highest  order.  And  as 
to  those  who  entered  the  army  with  a  fair  education,  their 
constant  contact  with  better  educated  whites  rendered  them 
conscious  of  their  deficiencies,  generating  a  worthy  emulation  for 
self-improvement,  which  was  noted  in  all  Indians  who  saw 
active  service. 

Distinguished  Service  of  Otis  W.  Leader— 

At  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  there  is  reproduced  the 
photograph  of  Sergeant  Otis  W.  Leader,  whose  distinguished 
services  in  the  great  war  aic  mentioned  by  Commissioner  Sells 
(p.  17)  in  his  1919  report,  though  he  is  therein  reported  as  a 

511 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

three-fourths  Choctaw,  whereas  he  is  in  point  of  fact  a  Chickasaw. 
The  error  arose  owing  to  the  fact  that  Leader,  although  born  a 
Chickasaw,  was  enrolled  as  a  Choctaw.  Governor  Johnston 
wrote  that  he  knew  the  father  of  Leader,  that  father  and  son 
were  Chickasaws,  the  son  attending  a  Chickasaw  school,  and 
that  it  not  infrequently  happened  that  a  Chickasaw  was  en- 
rolled as  a  Choctaw  and  a  Choctaw  as  a  Chickasaw,  mentioning 
an  instance  where  twin  brothers  were  enrolled,  one  as  a  Chickasaw 
and  the  other  as  a  Choctaw. 

A  letter  from  Leader  confirmed  the  fact  that  by  birth  he  was 
a  Chickasaw,  and  he  proved  himself  a  worthy  descendant  of  the 
primitive  Chickasaws,  who  were  the  bravest  of  the  brave;  and 
a  brief  account  of  Leader's  services  will  here  be  given. 

Leader  was  a  resident  of  Oklahoma  when  a  state  of  war  was 
declared,  but  it  so  happened  that  on  April  5,  191 7,  while  in  Fort 
Worth,  Texas,  in  the  interest  of  some  parties  desiring  to  purchase 
cattle,  an  idle  rumor  reached  him  that  he  was  suspected  of  being 
a  German  spy,  and>  stung  by  the  imputation,  on  April  17,  he 
applied  to  the  McAlister,  Oklahoma,  recruiting  station  for  ser- 
vice, and  was  accepted  and  given  two  weeks  to  wind  up  his 
affairs.  Reporting  to  Oklahoma  City,  May  1,  he  was  transferred 
to  Fort  Logan,  Colorado,  from  there  to  El  Paso,  Texas,  and 
assigned  to  Company  H  in  the  famous  1 6th  Infantry  regiment, 
of  the  regular  army  and  sailed  with  that  command  overseas 
about  June  1,  191 7,  arriving  at  St.  Nazaire,  France,  June  25, 
and,  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  the  boats  glided  through  the 
locks  amid  the  welcoming  cheers  of  the  French,  for  the  arrival 
of  these,  the  first  American  troops,  was  hailed  as  a  very  bene- 
diction from  heaven,  bringing  renewed  hope  of  victory  which 
had  been  so  long  deferred  as  to  make  the  heart  sick.  The  other 
regiments  to  share  this  distinction  with  the  Sixteenth  were  the 
Eighteenth,  Twenty-sixth  and  Twenty-eighth.  With  bands 
playing  and  colors  flying,  the  hardened  veterans  of  the  famous 
Sixteenth  first  encamped  on  French  soil,  and  among  these 
hardened  veterans  was  the  Chickasaw  lad  fresh  and  raw  from  the 

512 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

plains  of  Oklahoma.  How  lonely  he  must  have  felt  amid  so  many 
veterans  of  another  race,  three  thousand  miles  across  the  sea 
and  in  a  foreign  land;  and  all  these  changes  had  taken  place 
within  the  short  space  of  two  months  and  three  weeks;  and  yet 
we  will  see  that  this  Indian  lad  was  soon  to  prove  in  valor, 
courage,  and  resourcefulness  the  equal  of  any  of  the  vast  hosts 
that  landed  on  foreign  soil  to  challenge  autocracy  and  to  offer 
their  lives  that  freedom  might  not  perish  among  men 

In  due  course  the  regiment  marched  to  its  first  encampment 
and  then  came  rain  and  mud,  but  neither  storm  or  sunshine 
interfered  in  any  way  with  the  hard  discipline  that  was  to  follow 
at  once  to  train  these  first  Americans  for  trench  warfare,  under 
the  tutelage  of  French  officers  who  for  three  years  had  endured 
all  its  horrors.  Then  came  also  the  trip  to  Paris,  and  the  second 
battalion  of  the  Sixteenth  was  there  when  the  historic  words  were 
uttered  by  Pershing,  "Lafayette,  we  are  here!" 

It  so  happened,  or  was  so  ordained,  that  these  first  American 
troops  arrived  in  Paris  on  July  3,  and,  on  the  glorious  fourth 
Paris  threw  off  for  the  time  being  her  weeds  of  mourning,  and 
amid  a  strange  intermingling  of  tears  and  laughter,  shouts  of 
joy  and  songs  and  music  that  stirred  the  souls  of  men,  they 
marched  through  the  streets  of  Paris.  The  parade  was  reviewed 
by  President  Poincare  and  Marshal  Joffre,  and,  as  the  troops 
passed,  the  people  exclaimed,  "What  giants  they  are!"  but  the 
Americans  marched  stolidly  along,  looking  neither  to  the  right  or 
the  left;  and  it  was  said  that  there  was  a  faraway  look  in  their 
eyes,  as  though  a  premonition  had  crept  into  their  consciousness 
that  a  in  few  short  days  hundreds  of  this  famous  regiment  would 
be  cold  in  death,  while  other  hundreds,  torn  by  shot  and  shell, 
would  be  left  as  mere  human  wrecks  to  spend  the  remainder  of 
their  days  in  pain  and  anguish,  many  of  them  languishing  for 
days  and  years,  and  languishing,  to  die. 

•  The  fair  women  of  France  were  there  with  tears  and  kisses, 
and  with  their  elegant  lace  handkerchiefs  they  wiped  the  sweat 
and  the  grime  from  the  bronzed  brows  of  these  men,  who,  for- 

513 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

saking  their  peaceful  homes  in  far-away  America,  had  crossed 
the  seas  to  give  their  lives  that  France  and  the  world  might  be 
free. 

Then  came  the  hard  training  at  Gondrecourt,  soon  to  be 
followed  on  November  3,  1 91 7,  by  the  Bathlemont  raid,  care- 
fully planned  by  the  Germans,  who  cherished  the  hope  that  by 
this  first  blow  at  the  Americans,  German  prowess  would  so 
triumph  as  to  cow  and  break  the  spirit  of  the  invading  hosts, 
but  destiny  and  valor  ruled  otherwise. 

It  was  about  ten  o'clock  at  night  when  the  second  battalion 
of  the  Sixteenth  relieved  the  French  along  the  rim  of  a  hill  that 
butted  out  toward  the  Rhine — Marne  Canal;  and  this,  their 
first  tour  of  duty  in  the  trenches,  was  in  what  was  apparently  a 
quiet  sector,  and  the  stillness  of  the  desert  brooded  over  the 
scene. 

But  the  Huns,  ever  alert,  succeeded  through  traitorous 
signals  from  Bathlemont,  in  learning  of  the  very  hour  when  the 
Americans  relieved  the  French;  and  now  the  day  (der  tag)  had 
come  to  throw  the  German  veterans,  with  three  years'  training 
in  trench  warfare,  upon  the  unsuspecting  and  comparatively 
raw  American  troops,  and  wipe  them  out  of  existence. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  November  3,  1917, 
hell's  warfare  suddenly  broke  loose;  No  Man's  Land  and  the 
heavens  were  illumined  by  a  blinding  flare,  while  ton  upon  ton 
of  Krupp  shells  from  Krupp  artillery  swept  the  American  sector, 
accompanied  by  the  rattle  of  machine  guns.  The  wily  Hun  had 
cut  the  wires,  so  that  no  call  for  relief  could  be  sent  to  the  Ameri- 
can artillery.  The  heavy  German  shells  ripped  up  the  American 
trenches,  while  torpedoes  tore  away  the  wire  barricade  for  the 
onrush  of  the  Germans,  and  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the 
raiders,  long  drilled  and  trained  for  this  very  moment,  rushed 
upon  the  Americans,  and  at  last  Americans  were  at  grips  with 
the  Germans,  and  with  the  result  that  the  world  was  soon  to 
know  that  the  Germans  had  met  their  destiny  in  the  unconquer- 
able freemen  of  America.    When  daylight  came,  it  was  seen  that 

514 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

a  sergeant  and  ten  of  his  men  had  been  taken  by  the  Germans, 
that  five  were  wounded,  and  that  Corporal  James  B.  Gresham, 
Privates  Thomas  Enright  and  Merle  D.  Hay,  all  of  Company  F, 
were  lying  in  the  muddy  trenches,  cold  in  death,  the  first  Ameri- 
cans to  make  the  supreme  sacrifice  for  America  and  the  world. 
The  Chickasaw  lad,  Leader,  was  there  in  the  strife  with  one  of 
the  two  machine  gun  crews  supporting  the  left  flank  of  Company 
F,  upon  which  the  attack  was  made ;  and  while  this  was  a  minor 
action,  in  so  far  as  the  casualties  were  concerned,  still  it  stirred 
all  America,  and,  it  may  be  added,  Europe  as  well. 

At  the  second  battle  of  the  Marne,  Leader  was  a  corporal 
in  charge  of  one  of  the  two  machine  gun  crews,  and  while  ad- 
vancing in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  his  entire  gun  crew  and  gun 
were  blown  off  the  face  of  the  earth,  he  alone  surviving. 

Recovering  from  shell  shock,  Leader  seized  a  rifle  and  ad- 
vanced under  fire  with  the  infantry,  being  lost  three  days  from 
his  company,  and  while  the  infantry  had  the  attention  of  the 
Germans,  Leader  crawled  through  an  oatfield,  down  a  small 
branch  or  ditch,  and  in  this  manner  worked  his  way  in  behind 
the  enemy  and  was  within  sixty  feet  of  them  before  discovered, 
and  having  them  covered  with  an  automatic  rifle,  captured  two 
machine  guns  and  eighteen  prisoners. 

This  occurred  on  July  28,  19 18,  the  third  day  out,  in  the 
second  battle  of  the  Marne,  at  the  Aisne-Marne  sector. 

The  strategy  of  the  young  Chickasaw  had  worked  like  a 
charm.  The  American  infantry  was  advancing  on  the  crews  of 
these  machine  guns  under  a  withering  fire.  When  the  Germans 
suddenly  discovered  the  young  Indian  in  the  rear,  with  his 
automatic  rifle  leveled  on  them,  they  naturally  supposed  that  he 
had  ample  reinforcements  at  hand,  and  losing  their  nerve,  they 
likewise  lost  the  day,  surrendering  unconditionally. 

Who  doubts  that  the  courage,  the  genius  for  strategy,  and 
the  inspiration  which  enabled  this  young  Chickasaw  to  outwit 
and  overcome  the  trained  and  hardened  Prussian  Guards  in  the 
most  colossal  war  in  the  annals  of  the  world,  was  inherited  by 

515 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

him  from  his  ancient  progenitors,  who  came  near  destroying 
De  Soto  and  his  army  in  1541?  The  battle  of  Soissons  was  the 
great  counter-offensive  of  the  Allies,  and  the  famous  Sixteenth 
Regiment  was  in  the  midst  of  the  battle,  and  when  relieved  on 
the  fifth  day,  the  casualties  for  the  whole  regiment  were,  killed, 
204;  wounded,  940;  missing,  590;  total  1,734,  and  still  they 
fought  on  to  the  last. 

The  chaplain  of  the  regiment  (name  not  given)  has  this  to 
say  (p.  10)  in  the  story  of  the  Sixteenth. 

"The  story  of  the  regiment  involves  at  every  turn  the  story 
of  that  larger  military  unit  of  which  it  is  a  part,  the  Division. 
The  history  of  the  First  Division  in  France  has  not  yet  been 
written,  and  the  world  at  large  has  yet  to  learn  of  its  heroic 
achievements.  Let  it  be  here  recorded  that  the  Sixteenth  is 
proud,  above  all  else,  because  it  belongs  to  the  invincible  First, — 
first  to  arrive  in  France;  first  in  sector;  first  to  fire  a  shot  at  the 
Germans ;  first  to  attack ;  first  to  conduct  a  raid ;  first  to  be  raided ; 
first  to  capture  prisoners ;  first  to  inflict  casualties ;  first  to  shed  its 
blood ;  first  in  the  number  of  casualties  suffered ;  first  to  be  cited 
in  general  orders;  first  in  the  number  of  division,  corps  and 
army  commanders  and  general  staff  officers  produced  from  its 
personnel." 

This  was  the  command  under  which  the  fate  of  the  Chicka- 
saw lad  was  thrown  by  the  fortunes  of  war,  and  he  proved  him- 
self a  worthy  member  of  that  famous  regiment. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  said  that  Leader  fought  and  was 
wounded  and  gassed  at  Cantigny,  May  28,  1918;  fought  at 
Soissons,  Chateau-Thierry,  July  18,  1918;  fought  in  St.  Mihiel 
Salient,  September  12,  1918;  fought  in  the  Argonne  Forest, 
October  1,  191 8,  where  he  was  again  wounded  and  gassed;  was 
cited  for  distinguished  service,  and  was  awarded  the  distinguished 
service  cross. 

It  is  also  of  interest  to  note  that  this  young  Chickasaw  was 
selected  by  the  French  government  as  a  model  aboriginal  Ameri- 
can, and  the  French  artist  De  Warreux  painted  his  portrait, 

516 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

which  now  graces  the  art  museum  in  Paris,  and  that  his  portrait 
likewise  hangs  in  the  capital  city  of  Oklahoma. 

Was  not  the  selection  of  the  Chickasaw  lad,  Otis  W.  Leader, 
by  the  great  French  republic  to  have  his  portrait  painted  as  a 
typical  aboriginal  warrior  a  strange  fortune,  a  strange  destiny? 
Ten  thousand  American  Indians,  representing  every  tribe  from 
the  warm  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  frozen  seas  upon  the 
far-away  shores  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  were  in  France,  battling  side 
by  side  with  French  soldiers  for  the  freedom  of  mankind.  A 
worthy  inspiration  prompted  the  French  nation,  as  a  mark  of  its 
appreciation,  to  select  one  from  the  ten  thousand,  whose  portrait 
should  grace  their  hall  of  fame  as  a  silent  testimonial  of  the 
nation's  administration  and  gratitude  for  the  courage,  intrepidity, 
and  nobility  of  character  which  prompted  these  Indians  to  for- 
sake their  far-away  homes  and  offer  their  lives  for  French  freedom 
upon  French  soil. 

Was  it  a  strange  fortune,  or  are  we  justified  in  believing  that 
destiny  and  an  overruling  Providence  so  ordered  it,  that  of  all 
the  Indians  in  France  a  Chickasaw  Indian  whose  ancestors  were 
the  inveterate  foes  of  the  French,  and  rescued  from  their  dominion 
that  vast  domain  of  our  country  east  of  the  Mississippi,  should 
be  selected  as  one  out  of  ten  thousand? 

Whatever  may  be  the  conclusion  of  the  casuist  or  philosopher 
with  respect  to  this  matter,  I  do  not  think  we  should  be  surprised 
to  learn  that  at  the  first  call  of  their  country,  present  day  Chicka- 
saws  promptly  answered  that  call,  as  Piomingo  and  his  Chicka- 
saws  promptly  answered  the  call  of  George  Washington,  and  as 
their  more  remote  ancestors  answered  the  call  of  Englishmen 
before  the  Revolutionary  War;  for  fidelity  was  always  one  of  the 
noble  traits  of  their  character,  and  they  were  ever  found  side  by 
side  with  English-speaking  men,  wherever  they  were  called  by 
the  fortunes  of  war  or  peace. 


The  uniform  testimony  of  all  is  that  Leader  is  quite  modest 
and  retiring  in  his  temperament  and  disposition,  and  it  may  be 


517 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

added  that  at  the  end  of  the  war  he  returned  to  the  farm  near 
Gerty,  Oklahoma,  where  on  April  30,  1920,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Myrtle  Smith,  of  Oklahoma  city. 

In  giving  the  story  of  Leader  it  should  be  noted  that  there 
were  many  other  young  Chickasaws  who  saw  service  abroad, 
many  being  wounded  and  gassed,  while  still  others  gave  their 
lives  in  defense  of  their  country,  but  had  I  all  the  facts,  space 
would  forbid  an  extensive  account  thereof  However  we  may 
take  the  story  of  Leader's  distinguished  services  as  convincing 
evidence  that  the  blood  of  the  unconquerable  spirit  and  in- 
domitable will  of  the  primitive  Chickasaw  still  courses  through 
the  veins  and  animates  the  souls  of  our  modern  Chickasaw 
citizens  of  Oklahoma  and  of  the  United  States  of  America.  Nor 
should  it  be  supposed  that  the  Chickasaws  formed  an  exception, 
or  that  other  Indians  were  less  ready  to  offer  their  all  upon  the 
altar  of  their   country  in  defense  of  the  freedom  of  mankind. 

In  this  connection  I  will  quote  from  Commissioner  Sells 
(pp.  17  and  18)  in  his  191 9  report,  omitting  his  reference  to 
Leader,  where  he  says: 

"Among  those  who  won  the  croix  de  guerre  was  volunteer 
John  Harper,  a  full-blood  Uncompahgre  Ute,  of  which  details  are 
lacking  at  this  time ;  Chester  Armstrong  Fourbear,  a  full-blood 
Sioux  of  South  Dakota,  cited  for  bravery  in  swift  running  as  a 
messenger  at  Bellicourt;  Ordnance  Sgt.  James  M.  Gordon  of 
Wisconsin,  cited  for  rescuing  while  under  shell-fire  a  second 
lieutenant  of  the  French  army  who  was  wounded  while  on  an 
inspection  tour;  Nicholas  E.  Brown,  a  full-blood  Choctaw,  who 
when  killed  was  a  corporal  in  the  I42d  Infantry,  composed  largely 
of  Oklahoma  Indians,  the  honor  being  posthumously  awarded; 
Marty  Beaver,  a  full-blood  Creek,  on  the  military  records  as 
Bob  Carr,  an  orphan  boy  who  enlisted  in  Company  F,  I42d 
Infantry,  Thirty-sixth  Division,  details  at  present  lacking. 

"Alfred  G.  Bailey,  a  Cherokee  of  Oklahoma,  had  been  in 
regular  service  with  General  Pershing  in  Mexico.  He  was  a 
sergeant  when  killed  in  action  in  France  and  was  awarded  the 
distinguished  service  cross  for  creeping  into  the  enemy's  lines 

m 


The  Chickasaw   Nation 

alone  far  in  advance  of  his  regiment,  where,  unaided,  he  killed 
two  German  machine  gunners  and  captured  a  third  with  his  gun. 

"Walter  G.  Sevalia,  of  Brule,  Wis.,  a  corporal  in  Company 
F,  Seventh  Engineers,  was  cited  for  extraordinary  heroism  in 
action  near  Breuilles,  France,  in  November,  191 8.  He  swam 
the  Meuse  under  terrific  fire,  with  a  cable  for  a  pontoon  bridge, 
and  later  carried  another  cable  over  the  Est  Canal  and  across 
an  open  field  covered  by  enemy  guns.  At  this  time  he  was 
wounded,  but  returned,  bearing  a  message  of  great  importance. 

"Probably  no  more  brilliant  instance  is  recorded  than  that 
furnished  by  Private  Joseph  Oklahombi,  a  full-blood  Choctaw, 
of  Company  D,  141st  Infantry,  whose  home  is  at  Bismark, 
Oklahoma,  and  who  received  the  croix  de  guerre  under  the  order 
of  Marshal  Petain,  commander-in-chief  of  the  French  armies 
of  the  east.   A  translation  of  the  order  follows: 

11  'Under  a  violent  barrage,  dashed  to  the  attack  of  an  enemy 
position,  covering  about  210  yards  through  barbed -wire  entangle- 
ments. He  rushed  on  machine-gun  nests,  capturing  171  prisoners. 
He  stormed  a  strongly  held  position  containing  more  than  fifty 
guns,  and  a  number  of  trench  mortars.  Turned  the  captured 
guns  on  the  enemy,  and  held  the  position  for  four  days,  in  spite 
of  a  constant  barrage  of  large  projectiles  and  of  gas  shells. 
Crossed  No  Man's  Land  many  times  to  get  information  con- 
cerning the  enemy,  and  to  assist  his  wounded  comrades!' 

"Such  deeds  of  highest  service  to  unborn  generations  are  a 
part  of  the  glorious  conclusion  wrought  by  American  arms  and 
will  out-live  all  memorial  bronze  and  marble,  for  they  will  inspire 
the  song  and  story  of  immortal  tradition,  and  though  recorded 
history  may  fail,  these  things  that  have  been  written  into  the 
psychology  of  human  freedom  and  justice  will  endure." 


The  last  sentence  quoted  from  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs  is  indeed  eloquent,  and  breathes  a  noble  spirit  of  patrio- 
tism not  often  to  be  found  in  the  usually  prosaic  official  report 
to  the  head  of  one  of  the  great  departments  at  Washington. 

It  is  believed,  however,  that  it  will  meet  a  hearty  response 
in  the  heart  of  every  patriot  who  may  read  this  report. 

Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  when  this  country  called  on 
the  North  American  Indians  to  leave  their  homes  and  offer  their 

519 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

lives  upon  the  altar  of  this  country,  upon  foreign  soil,  many  of 
these  Indians  were  not  citizens  of  the  United  States,  whose  flag 
they  were  called  to  defend,  although  their  ancestors  occupied 
and  owned  this  country  for  ages  before  Columbus  set  sail  in  1492, 
which  eventuated  in  the  discovery  of  a  new  world. 

The  laws  of  the  white  man  denied  to  them  this  citizenship. 

Hon.  Charles  D.  Carter  has  labored  greatly  in  this  matter, 
and  did  succeed  in  passing  a  bill  through  the  House  making 
nearly  all  the  Indians  citizens,  but  this  bill  was  defeated 
in  the  Senate. 

On  June  5,  191 9,  Honorable  Homer  P.  Snyder,  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, introduced  a  bill  granting  citizenship  to  certain  Indians, 
and  this  bill  became  a  law  on  November  6,  19 19.  This  act  pro- 
vides that  every  American  Indian  who  served  in  the  military  or 
Naval  establishments  of  the  United  States,  and  who  has  received 
an  honorable  discharge,  is  now  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
if  he  so  desires. 

This  was  a  tardy  though  well  deserved  act  of  justice. 

This  citizenship  was  not  given,  however,  until  the  spirits 
of  some  of  these  Indian  lads  were  standing  guard  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Meuse  and  the  Marne,  beneath  the  silent  moon;  and  while 
they  fell  upon  the  field  of  battle  with  their  faces  to  the  east,  their 
hearts  were  at  home  in  the  west  upon  the  open  plains  of  far- 
away America. 

Of  them  it  may  be  said  in  the  words  of  Theodore  O'Hara,  a 
soldier  of  the  South, 

"On  fame's  eternal  camping-ground 
Their  silent  tents  are  spread, 
But  glory  guards,  with  solemn  round, 
The  bivouac  of  the  dead." 

No  storied  urn  or  sculptured  stone  tells  us  of  the  valor,  the 
patriotism,  and  the  deeds  of  daring  of  the  aborigines  of  America, 
and  about  all  that  there  now  remains  in  our  country  to  remind 

520 


The  Chickasaw  Nation 

us  of  this  noble  people  are  a  few  soft  and  beautiful  Indian  names, 
scattered  here  and  there,  especially  the  names  of  rivers  and  streams 
This  is  especially  so  in  the  ancient  homes  of  the  Chickasaws 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  where  nearly  all  the  rivers  and  streams 
bear  Chickasaw  names.  Each  of  these,  as  it  flows  silently  ever 
onward  towards  the  ocean,  the  mother  of  all  waters,  whispers 
softly  of  the  intrepid  and  unconquerable  warriors  who  once 
sported  upon  its  waves,  and  who  were  as  much  at  home  upon  the 
bosom  of  the  deep  as  upon  the  land.  Sitting  besides  these  streams, 
if  we  but  give  leave  to  our  memories  to  wander  to  the  days  when 
the  Chickasaws  were  the  unchallenged  overlords  of  their  vast 
domains,  like  the  sweet  memory  of  a  dream,  they  whisper  to  us 
of  their  deeds  of  daring  and  the  nobility  of  their  characters. 


But  are  not  the  Chickasaws  and  all  of  the  North  American 
Indians  entitled  to  something  more  than  beautiful  dreams? 

Is  the  day  not  near  at  hand,  is  it  not  here  now,  when  these 
beautiful  tributes  of  praise  and  patriotism,  so  eloquently  por- 
trayed by  the  Indian  Commissioner,  should  be  translated  into 
belated  acts  of  justice,  acts  of  a  material  character,  and  in  that 
way  repair,  as  far  as  that  can  be  done,  the  many  injustices  of 
the  past? 

We  may  at  least  indulge  the  hope  that  as  a  new  congress 
succeeds  a  new  congress  in  the  coming  years,  with  the  bright 
light  of  truth  shining  upon  the  national  Indian  problem,  a  better 
and  a  brighter  day  will  dawn  for  the  Chickasaws,  as  well  as  for 
all  other  North  American  Indians. 


521 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Abel,  Annie  H.,  quoted  403,  406,  506 
Ackia — 

Battle  of 255 

Country  adjacent  described .   256 
Adair,  James — 

His  book 6 

Prowess  of  Chickasaws   on 

water 273 

Quoted  201,  202,  204,  207,  208,  220 

His  prophecy  fulfilled 278 

Adultery,  how  punished 187 

Agee,  G.  W.,  mentioned 459 

Agriculture,  progress  in  South  378 
Alaska,  Indian — 

Population  of 490 

Industries  of 492,  493 

Allen,   "Private"  John,  men- 
tioned    465 

Allotments,  laws  as  to 468 

Alsobrook,  W.  W.,  mentioned.  .   15 
Altitude,  Chickasaw  country  ,62,  63 

Of  Memphis 104 

Alvord    and    Bidgood,    their 

book  and  researches 234 

Amusements  of  Chickasaws . .  205 
Appearance  of  Chickasaws 

174,175,176 

Armstrong,    Henry    Guion, 

killed  in  world-wide  war . .   467 

Atlantis,  the 4 

Azores,  the 4 

Bancroft,  George — 

On  place  where  Mississippi 

was  discovered 54 

Home  of  Chickasaws 93 

Estimate  of 153 

Chickasaws  on  rivers 274 

Barton,  R.  M.,  address  De  Soto 
Memorial 162-165 


Bartram,  William — 
His  character  and  writings .   171 
Quoted  175, 179, 181,  202,  211-214 
Batts    and    Fallam    explora- 
tions    234 

Bayou  Gayoso,  described,  fish 

in 109 

Bethel  Place,  residence  of  P. 

C.  Bethel 117 

Biedma,  Hernandez  de — 

His  narrative  and  character.  80 

Quoted  at  large 83, 84 

Bienville,  Jean  Baptiste  Le- 
moyne,  Sieur  de — 

Sketch  of 239 

Makes  war  on  Chickasaws 

249,  250 

His  fort  described 256 

Second    war    with    Chicka- 
saws   264,  265 

Letter  of  resignation 268 

Blocker,  Milton,  mentioned. .   113 
Blount,  Gov.  W.,  at  Nashville, 

conference 341 

Bonaparte,  Charles  J.,  special 
report  as  to  abuses  in  In- 
dian country 438 

Bond,  Re  ford- 
Quoted  as  to  title  of  Chicka- 
saws   398 

Attorney  for  Chickasaws .  .   488 
As   to   English,    spoken  by 

Chickasaws 503 

Bossu,    Jean    Bernard,    on 

Chickasaws 271 

Bourne,  Edward  G.,  discov- 
eries of  De  Soto 34,  36 

Bradley,  Judge  J.  P.,  opinion 

in  Cherokee  Tobacco  Case  450 


525 


I  n  d 


e  x 


Brown,  John,  claims  Chicka- 
saw land  near  Savannah .  .  353 
Brown's  Hill  named  for  Dr. 

R.  F.  Brown 117 

Brul^,  Etienne,  discoveries  of 

140,141 

Bryce,    James,    on    Southern 

people 384 

Buckingham,  Miles  S.,   men- 
tioned    110 

Burke,  Hon.  Charles  H.— 
His    address     in     Congress 
exposing    professional 

guardians 442 

New   Indian  commissioner.  442 
Carnes,  Gen.  Sam.   T.,  men- 
tioned   458,460 

Carter,  Charles  D.— 

Quoted  on  Chickasaw  tra- 
ditions    22,  23 

Served  with  distinction  420,  520 
Chairman  Sequoyah  memo- 
rial   366 

Former  Secretary  of  Chicka- 

saws 420 

Mentioned 477 

Catfish  Bay 109 

Catron,  Chief  Justice  John, 
on  right  of  title  by  dis- 
covery    293 

Cemetery,  ancient,  at  Pon- 
totoc    399 

Centenary  of  Memphis — 

Executive  Committee 156 

Of  Chickasaw  triumphs 394 

Chalmers,  Judge  H.    H. — 

Mentioned 168 

General  J.  R.,  mentioned  ...   168 
Chambers,    Major    Reed    M., 
noted    aviator    in    world- 
wide war 467 

Chandler,  Walter  C,  men- 
tioned   463 


Character — 

Private,  of  Chickasaws 179 

What  we  might  learn  there- 
from   223 

Children,  treatment  of. .   193-195 
Chautauqua,  Lake  of,  empties 

into  Mississippi 140 

Cherokees — 

Claim  lands  of  Chickasaws 

303,  328,  329 

Number  of  warriors 306 

•Branch  of  Iroquois 358 

Chesterton,  G.  K.,  on  charac- 
ter of  early  Virginians. . .  373 
Chickasaws — 

Origin  of 14 

Traditions  as  to  origin  of .  16, 17 
Separation  from  Choctawsl9,  20 

Dawn  of  history  for 29 

Reached  by  De  Soto 34 

The  original 36 

Who  and  what  they  were ...     37 

Battles  with  De  Soto 40 

Receive  De  Soto 41 

Cause  of  battle  with  De  Soto    48 

Chiefs  of,  in  1540 40 

Challenge   of  Spaniards   to 

single  combat 50 

Trails  of 57-60 

Endurance  in  running 60 

Their  home  country 92 

Long  trail  to  the  Mississippi    94 
Their  intermediate  trail ....     94 

Their  short-cut  trail 95 

Water  route  to  Great  Lakes 

140, 142 

Home  life  of 170 

Their  appearance 174-176 

Private  character 179,  180 

Their  language 181-183 

Dwelling  houses 183 

Names  of  towns 185 

Courtship  and  marriage  186, 187 

Marital  relations 187-189 

Names  of 192, 193 


526 


Index 


Chickasaws — Continued 
Treatment  of  children .  .  193-195 

Food  given  to  world 195-197 

What  they  ate 200-203 

Their  medicine 204 

Amusements 205 

As  hunters 205,206 

Their  endurance 206 

Their  government 208-212 

Their  religion 213-219 

Making  war 220 

Mound  builders 221-223 

What  we  might  learn  from 

them 223-227 

Eloquence 227-229 

History  from  De  Soto  until 
first  treaty  with  United 
States. . . .  232  and  following 

Their  country  in  1682 238 

Meet  Iberville  and  Bien- 
ville   239 

Population  of 242 

Friends  of  English 243 

Why  hostile  to  French 244 

Cause  of  war  with  French  .   247 
Defeat  D'Artaguette. . .  .251-254 

Defeat  Bienville 255-263 

Second  war  with  Bienville 

264-268 

War  with  Vaudreuil 269,  270 

Prowess  on  Mississippi  Riv- 
er   271 

Defied  the  French 276 

First  council  with  English. .  277 
Historic  points   in  Chicka- 
saw country  and  map  of 

same 285-291 

Defeat  Shawnees 302 

Country     of,    described   by 

Rogers 304,305 

Treaties  with  United  States 

. . 305-325 

Claim  country  near  Savan- 
nah     353 

Story  since  1832 394 


Chickasaws — Continued 

Centenary  of  triumphs.  .394,  395 

Exiled  in  1836 394 

Removal  west 396 

Purchase  new  home 397 

In  Civil  War 402 

Treaty  with  Confederacy .  .  406 
Desolations  of  Civil  War.  .  .  408 

Clung  to  South 411 

Treaty  of  1866 412-415 

Struggle  for  racial  purity . .  .   415 
Constitutions  and  laws  of, 

419,420 

Dawes  Agreement 420,  421 

All  treaties  with,  abrogated 

421-424 

Protest  against  dissolution 

of  tribal   government . .  430 

Despoiled  of  land 431-433 

In   the   twentieth   century, 

characteristics  of 455> 

Left  impress  on  people  who 

succeeded  them 455 

Equitable  claims 473 

Made  citizens 474 

Present  population  of.  .  .481,482 

Unsold  property 484-487 

Board  for  indigent  suggest- 
ed   486 

Present  officials 488 

School  children 501-504 

Present  religion 505-507 

Claim  vs.  United  States507-509 

In  world-wide  war 511-519 

Appeal  in  their  behalf,  for 

justice 521 

Rolls  padded  by  white  per- 
jury   496 

Chickasaw  Bluffs — 

Fourth  described 104 

Beauty  of 110,111 

Country  opposite 133 

The  four  located 237 

Earliest  settlers 353 


527 


Index 


Chickasaw  Guards — 

Short  sketch  of 456 

Naming 458 

First  service 459 

First  defeat  of 460 

Successful  tours 460 

Rank  and  file  of 460 

In  world-wide  war 462 

Casualties  among 467 

Honors  in  great  war 464 

Chidester,  Walter,  mentioned .  7 
Chisca    village    described    by 

Garcilaso 125 

House  of    cacique  on  high 

mound 126 

Cacique  or  chief  spoken  of, 

Chisca 126 

Chisca,  village  in  East  Ten- 
nessee   32 

Choate,  Joseph  H.,  quoted. . .  445 

Choctaws — 

Cushman  among 14 

Origin  of 17-27 

As  Mound  Builders 24 

Could  not  swim 143 

War  with  Chickasaws 244 

Number  of  warriors 304 

Join  French  against  Chick- 
asaws   250,  260,  266 

Torn  by  dissensions 270 

Favor    French 275 

D'Tocqueville  on  removal . .  397 

Citizenship — 

Conferred    on    certain    In- 
dians   468 

Conferred  on  Chickasaws .  .  475 
Participants  in  world-wide 

war  made  citizens 520 

Civil  War— 

Chickasaws  in 402 

Chickasaws  sought  by  South  403 

Neglected  by  North 404 

Desolation  of 409 


Claiborne,  J.  F.  H.— 
Admiration  for  Chickasaws .     51 
On    cause    of    hostility    of 

Chickasaws  to  French  .  244 

Clapp,  W.  L.,  mentioned 462 

Clark,  Champ,  on  Sequoyah  .  .  366 
Colbert,  Frank  O.,  Chickasaw 

artist 477 

Colbert,  Levi,  high  character 

of 317 

Colbert,  William,  speech  for 

United  States 352 

Career  of 411 

Columbus — 

Voyage  of  discovery 1 

Claims  by  right  of  discovery       2 
Congress   sets   aside  all  trea- 
ties   422 

Constitution     and     laws     of 

Chickasaws 420 

Cotton  crop,  value  of 379 

Cotton  Gin  Port,  described  ...  255 
Courtship  and  marriage. . .  186, 187 
Crawford,  West  J.,  mentioned  466 

Creeks — 

Number  of  warriors 306 

Defeated  by  Chickasaws. . . .  347 

Crum,  C.  L  — 

On     country     from     Holly 

Springs  to  New  Albany     76 
To  erect  De  Soto  marker. .  .  .   169 
Map  of  historic  points  . . .  285,  289 
Cummins,     Holmes,     men- 
tioned   507 

Curd,  C.  H. ,  trip  with 71 

Cruse,  Gov.  Lee,  second  gov- 
ernor   477 

Cushman — 

His  book 15 

Quoted 16, 19, 114,  207,  221 

Cypress — 

Brakes,  described 68 

Bald,  described 68 

Lone  sentinel 69 


528 


Index 


D'Artaguette,  Chevalier,  sig- 
nal defeat 251 

Davant,   James   S.,   Jr.,  com- 
mended   466 

Dawes,  agreement 420 

Dawes  commission  report 

422-424 

Dr.  Barrows  on 431 

Criticized 424-431 

Illogical  argument  vs.  own- 
ership in  common 434 

Indians  defrauded  by 468 

De  L'Isle— 

His  map- 97 

Further  considered 154 

De  Soto,  Hernando — 

Early  life 29 

Lands  in  Florida 31 

Reaches  Chickasaws 35 

Battles  with  Chickasaws. .  .     40 
How    received    by     Chick- 
asaws       41 

Cause  of  battles 48 

Narratives  quoted  and  com- 
pared       79 

Route    to    the    Mississippi 

River 92 

At  Chickasaw  Bluffs 104 

Camps  near  a  river  bank .. .   118 

Crosses  the  Mississippi 131 

At  the  Mississippi 129 

Lake  in   Minnesota    named 

for 140, 168 

Fish  taken  where  Mississip- 
pi was  discovered 145 

Memorial  at  Memphis  erect- 
ed  156, 157 

Tomb  of,  by  Walter  Malone.   162 
Honored  by  Minnesota  and 

Mississippi 168 

Had  no  cannon 257 

De  Tocqueville,  Alexis — 

Mentioned 55 

On  slavery  in  the  South. . . .  383 
On  removal  of  Choctaws 397 


Discovery,  right  of  title  by .  . .  293 
Douglass,  G.  M.,  mentioned  .  .  131 
Duncan,    R.    P.,    captain     of 

Chickasaw  Guards 458 

Du       Pratz,       M.      LeParge, 
describes      primeval 

beauty  of  Memphis Ill 

Quoted 245,246 

Eastman,  Charles  A. — 

Quoted 436 

His  book  and  works 437 

Edmonds,  Richard  H. — 

Gives  statistics  on  Southern 

crops  and  industries ....  380 
Editorial  on  Southern  peo- 
ple     392 

Ellis,  Mary  L.  M.,  mentioned.  113 
Eloquence  of  Indians 

228-230,327,328,329 

Elvas,  Gentleman  of — 

His  character  and  narrative     79 

Quoted  at  large 81 

Endurance  of  Chickasaws  ....  206 
English — 

Chickasaws,  friends  of 244 

Gain  control  of  South 277 

First  council  with  Chicka- 
saws     278 

First  in  Mississippi     basin 

explorations 235 

Eskimos — 

Appearance  and  origin  of .  .  .       7 

Number  in  Alaska 494 

Farley,  John  W. — 

His  monograph 386 

Statistics  and  politics 386 

His  views  as  to  negro  prob- 
lem   386 

Ferguson,  Kenneth,  early  set- 
tler   353 

Fish  taken  by  De  Soto 145 

Five  Civilized  Tribes — 

Defined 370 

Driven  from  home 425 

Their  character 427 


529 


I  n  d 


e  x 


Fontaine,  Captain  J.  D.,  men- 
tioned      98 

Food  given  to  world  by   In- 
dians, of  Chickasaws  .  .115,  201 
Forrest,  N.  B.,  mentioned ....    169 
Foster,  George  E.,  quoted.  301,  328 
Freedmen,  Chickasaws  refuse 

to  adopt 416 

French — 

Cause  of  hostility  of  Chick- 
asaws to 255 

Extirpate  Natchez 246 

Cause  of  war  with  Chicka- 
saws     248 

French     Nancy,    adopted   by 

Chickasaws 255 

Gailor,  Bishop  Thomas  F.,on 

De  Soto  memorial 157 

Gaines,  J.  Paul — 

Mentioned 106 

Reproduces  Lusher 's  map. .   148 
Reproduces  Tindall's  map. .   257 
Drawn     map     of     historic 
points     in     Chickasaw 

country 286 

Garcilaso  de  la  Vega — 

His  character  and  narrative 

79, 122 

Quoted 50,123-125 

Gayoso,  Bayou — 

Described 109 

Fish  in 110 

Gayoso,  Manuel  De  Lemos — 

Writes  to  Piomingo 345 

Conference  with  Piomingo.  348 

His  character 346 

Pen  picture  of 349 

Gentes,  how  Chickasaws  were 
divided   into 190 

Gist,  George,  father  of  Sequo- 
yah    358 

Goodwin,  Robert  B.,  trans- 
lates Richlet's  Florida 125 


Gordon,  Gen.  George  W. — 

Member  Chickasaw  Guards  458 

Mentioned 462 

Government  of  Chickasaws . . .  209 
Grafters  preying  on  Indians.  .  439 
Grant,  Jesse  R.,  gives  views  of 

Gen.   Grant 393 

Grant,  U.  S.,  on  Southern  peo- 
ple    392 

Guardians — 

Professional 440 

How    they    robbed    Indian 

orphans 440 

Statistics  as  to  frauds  of .  . . .   443 
Guion,  Major  Isaac, at  Chicka- 
saw Bluffs 351 

Haiti,  fate  under  negro  rule . . .  375 
Halbert,  H.  S.,   quoted  as  to 

smaller  tribes 275 

Hamilton,    Peter   H.,    an   ex- 
cellent authority,  quoted.   239 
Hay  good,  Atticus  G.,  on  the 

negro  problem 385 

Helena  Trace 97 

Henderson,  Col.  Richard — 

Mentioned 303 

At  Sycamore  Shoals 329 

Historic  points  in  Chickasaw 

country  and  map  thereof.  286 
Hog  and  hominy  first  meet. . .  47 
Holly  Springs — 

Name  of 55 

Roads  to 96 

Holmes,  Finley,  mentioned .  . .  169 
Holmes,  Francis,  mentioned .  .   169 

Holmes,  J.  E.,  address  of 166 

Holmes,  Rev.  James,  and  Em- 

bry  M 507 

Home  of  Chickasaws 93 

Life  of 171 

Houses  of  Chickasaws 183 

Hunt,    Sgt.     Jesse,   killed     in 

action 467 

Hunters,  Chickasaws  as 206 


530 


/  nd 


e  x 


Iberville,    Pierre    Le    Moyne, 

Sieur  de,  sketch  of 239 

Indians — 

Origin  of 1 

Origin  of  the  name 2 

Probable  origin 7-13 

How  they  preserved  histor- 
ical events 16 

Their  rights  to  the  soil 293 

Had  able  defenders 297 

Encouraged  to  make  debts.  .  311 

Interest  on  money 319 

Well  understood  purposes  of 

whites 327 

Eloquence  of 228-230,  234 

Helplessness  of,  shown 424 

Wide  divergence  as  to 426 

Desire     for    ownership,     in 

common 434 

Robbed  according  to  law.  .  439 

Easily  cheated 439 

Conception  as  to  Jesus 436 

Certain,  made  citizens 468 

Progress  of 493 

In  world-wide  war 510-519 

Participants  in  world-wide 

war  made  citizens 520 

In  census    of  1920 474 

Rolls    of,   padded    by    per- 
jury of  whites 495,  496 

Indian    Rights  Association, 

work  of 446 

Interpretation  of  language..     55 
Jackson,  Andrew,  acquire  in- 
terest in  Rice  Grant 316 

Jackson,  Helen  Hunt — 

Her    book,     A    Century   of 

Dishonor 453 

Japanese,  discoveries  of 6 

Jarratt,    J.    B.,    on   supposed 

De  Soto  relics 289 

Jefferson,  Thomas — 

On  the  Indians 228 

Endeavors    to   befriend 

Chickasaws 311 

On  slavery 374 


Johnston,  Gov.  Douglass  H., 
argument  against  adop- 
tion of  slaves,  presents 
claims  vs.  United    States  418 

Johnstone,  George,  Governor 

of  west  Florida 277 

Jones,  L.  B.,  quoted 74 

Judiciary  sustains  congress  in 

abrogation  of  all  treaties.   446 
Justice  of  its  views  criti- 
cized    446 

Opinions  of,  in  the  forum  of 

conscience 451 

Kyle,  William  H.,  mentioned.  463 
Labauve,  Felix,  mentioned  .  .  .  169 
Lafayette,  Marquis  D. — 

Speech  of  Mushalatubbee  to,  229 
Lamar,  L.  Q.  C,  on  the  Union  381 

Language  of  Chickasaws 181 

Laps,   appearance  and  origin 

of 7 

La  Salle,  Chevalier  de,  expedi- 
tion of 236 

Latham,  Lieut.  F.  S.,  killed  in 

world-wide  war 467 

Latrobe,  John  H.  B.,  counsel 

for  Chickasaws 413 

Lawrence,  Wm.  L.,  assistance 

of 418 

Lawson,  John — 

His  character  and  writings .   215 

Quoted 180 

Leader,  Otis  W. — 

Sketch  of  his  distinguished 
service    in    world-wide 

war 511 

Receives  distinguished  ser- 
vice cross 518 

His     portrait     painted     by 

French 518 

League    of    Nations    will    be 

eventually  adopted 371 


531 


Index 


Leftwich,  Geo.  J. — 

Indian   trails 59 

Quoted  as  to  Bienville's  fort  256 

On  Chickasaws 275 

Leupp,  Francis  E.— 
As  Indian  commissioner ....  423 

Quoted 426 

Why  quoted 429 

Lewis,  Theodore  H.— 

Mentioned 79 

As  historian,  etc 86 

His    conclusions  criticized. 

86-107 

Lincecum,  Dr.  Gideon — 

Among  the  Choctaws 20 

As  to  Mound  Builders 24 

Quoted 20,24-26 

Literary  Digest — 

Quoted  as  to  League  of  Na- 
tions    371 

Quotes  Chesterton 373 

Lloyd,  Elwood,  canoe  trip  on 

Mississippi 141 

Logan,  speech  of 228 

Lone  Wolf,  case  of 449 

Love,  W.  A.,  quoted 507 

Lowe,  Dr.  E.  N. ,  letter  of 62 

Lusher's  map  referred  to,  as 
reproduced  by  J.  Paul 
Gaines.   (See    at    back  of 

this  book.) 75,95-98 

Paul  Gaines 147 

Lynchings  of  negroes  in  South 

and  North 391 

Magellan,  Ferdinand,    nearly 

circumnavigates  the  globe       3 

Malone,  F.  J.— 

His  death  mentioned 65 

Mentioned 169 

On  fate  of  the  negro 385 

His  views  of 386 

Malone,  John  T. ,  mentioned . .    169 


Malone,  Walter — 

De  Soto  at  Mississippi 129 

Presentation    of   Hernando 
De   Soto    to   King   and 

Queen 164 

Tomb  of  De  Soto 162 

Place  of  birth 169 

Manufacturers  Record — 

Statistics  from 380 

Editorial  on  Southern  people  392 
Maps — 

As  to  their  value 97 

Of  DeLisle 97,154 

Lusher's  (see  at  back  of  this 

book). 
Of  historic  points  in  Missis- 
sippi   (see    at  close   of 

Chapter  IX) 286 

Marquette,  Pierre,  quoted  as 

to  Chickasaws 234 

Marriage  and  divorce,  pro- 
hibited within  certain  de- 
grees   187-191 

Marshall,  John — 

On   right    of   title    by    dis- 
covery     296 

Opinion  in  Cherokee  case  .  .  .  447 
Martin,    Francis   Xavier, 

sketch  of 268 

Martin,  W.  P.,  mentioned 458 

McFarland,  Judge  L.  B.,  men- 
tioned    173 

Medicine  of  Chickasaws 204 

Memorial,  De  Soto,  inscrip- 
tions     158 

Memphis — 

DuPratz  describes  the  beau- 
ty of  primeval  site  of .  . .   104 
De  Soto  discovers  Mississip- 
pi River  on  site  of 116-133 

Fort  Prudhomme  not  site  of  239 

Centenary  of 156 

Birth  of 314 


532 


Index 


Minnesota    names    lake     for 

De  Soto 168 

Missionaries,  their  lives  of  de- 
votion to  the  service  of 

the  Indians 505 

Mississippi     names      county 

for  De  Soto 168,169 

Negro  population  decreased  380 
Historic  points  in  and  map 

of  same 286 

Mississippi  River — 

Importance  of  discovery 140 

Described 140-143 

Number  of  fish  taken 145 

Prowess  of  Chickasaws  on .  .   272 

Mitla,  ruins  of 16 

Mixon,  Miss  Ada,  article  of.  .  152 
Mizell,  William,  early  settler .  353 
Mobile,  founded  by  Iberville 

and  Bienville 150 

Montaigne,   Michael   De,   his 

opinions  of  Indians 230 

Moorehead,    Warren    K.,    his 
work       and        pamphlet 

quoted !" .  .  .   441 

Morgan,  J.  B.,  mentioned..  .  .  169 
Moscoso,  Luis  de,   master  of 

the  camp 49 

Mott,  M.  L.,  report  of 445 

Mounds  (Indian) — 
Where  Mississippi  discover- 
ed     126 

Near  Indian  villages 136 

Mound  Builders — 

Indians  were 24 

Chickasaws  as 221 

Mound  City,  Arkansas,  coun- 
try adjacent  described. . . .   100 

Murray,  William  H. — 

Mentioned 447 

Quoted 427 

President  Const.  Con 477 


Murrow,  Rev.  J.  S. — 

His  services  and  pamphlet .  .  439 

Quoted 440 

Mushalatubbee,  speech  of,  to 

Lafayette 230 

Names  of  Chickasaw  towns  .  .    185 

Of  children 192 

Natchez — 

The  furthest  advanced 12 

Cause  of  extirpation 246 

Not  due  to  Chickasaws ....   246 
Nashville — 

Conference  in  1792 57,  340 

Robertson,  father  of 306 

National  Geographic  Maga- 
zine, quoted  from  on  con- 
ditions in  Haiti 377 

Needham,  Thomas,  explora- 
tions of 235 

Negro — 
Rule    in    the    South    over- 
thrown    374 

Incapacity  to  rule  shown  in 

Haiti 375 

Sentiments     of    South     to- 
ward    385 

Decreasing    in     population 

in  census  of  1920 385-389 

New     Orleans,     founded     by 

Bienville 239 

Nome,  Alaska,  visit  to 8 

Nonconnah,  Creek — 
And  its  bottom  described  .  65, 105 

A  small  river 120 

Oconostota,  speech  of,  to  Hen- 
derson, etc 330 

Oglethorpe,  James — 

Founds  Georgia 300 

League  with  Chickasaws  ...     39 
Oklahoma,  name  of  probably 

a  Chickasaw  word 479 

Origin  of  Indians 1, 14-27 

Origin  of  Chickasaws 14-27 

Origin  of  Muskhogeans 27 


633 


Index 


Orphans      of     Indians,      how 

robbed  by  law 440 

Ortiz,  Juan,  captivity 31 

Overton,  John — 

Buys  rice  grant 316 

Founder  of  Memphis 316 

Owen,  Robert  L.,  on  Sequoyah  366 
Ownership    in    common,     ar- 
gument for 434 

Parkman,  Francis,  error  as  to 

English  explorations 235 

Pashby ,  C.  C,  letter  of 62 

Paustoobee,  young  Chickasaw 

chief,  gives  religious  views  216 
Perrier,     M.,     extirpates    the 

Natchez 247 

Peters,    Col.    Isaac   F.,    men- 
tioned   462 

Phelan,  James — 

Quoted  on  century  of  dis- 
honor    329 

Quotes  speech  of  Oconosto- 

ta 330 

Pickett,  Albert  J.— 
His  writings  and  character. .   173 

Quoted 178,185,206 

His  tribute  to  Chickasaws  .  .   282 

Pigeons,  wild,  described 71 

Pigeon  Roost  Creek 75 

Pigeon  Roost  Road,  described     65 
Pigeon  Roost  and  Chulahoma 

Turnpike 100 

Pike,  Albert- 
Treaty  by 407 

His  character 408 

Letter  to  Holmes 410 

Piomingo — 

Describes    boundaries    of 

Chickasaws 57 

Sketch  of , 331 

Could  not  read 332 

Meaning  of  name 332 

Birth  and  death 333 


Piomingo — Continued 

First  heard  of 333 

Friend  of  Robertson 337 

Aids   St.    Clair  and  Wayne 

338-344 

Washington's  letter 340 

Nashville  conference 340 

Describes  Chickasaw  coun- 
try    342 

Marked  for  assassination  .  .  .   344 
Conference  with  Gayoso .  . .  348 

Last  appearance 351 

Speaks  for  United  States..  352 

Family  of 354 

Honored 355 

Street  named  for 357 

Pontotoc — 

City  of 95 

Ancient  cemetery 400 

Pontotoc,  county  of 93 

Pontotoc  Ridge  described. .  .  .59-93 

Pope    gives  worlds  to  Spain 

and  Portugal 394 

Poplar  Ridge 107 

Population — 
Of  primitive  Chickasaws  243,  477 

Of  Choctaws 243 

Of  Creeks 243 

Of  Cherokees  and  others. .  . .   243 

Present  Indian 481 

Present  Chickasaw 482 

Present  Indian 488 

Porter,  James  D.,  article  by  .  .    115 

Prudhomme    Fort     site     not 

that  of  Memphis 236 

Quizquiz — 

Location 116 

Near  Mississippi  River. ...   116 
De  Soto  captures 118 

Rainfall  in  Chickasaw  coun- 
try      61 

Ranjel,  Rodrigo — 

Character  and  narrative 81 

Quoted  at  large 85 


534 


Index 


Ransom,  Capt.  Joe  R.  T. — 

Mentioned 464 

Decorated    for    bravery    in 

action 467 

Rawlings,  J.  J.,  character  and 

quoted 103 

Religion — 

Of  Chickasaws 213-215 

Embrace  Christian 505 

Reynolds,  Benj.,  remembered 

by  Chickasaws 325 

Riano,  Juan,  embassador  men- 
tioned    156 

Rice  and  Ramsey  Grants  on 

Chickasaw  Bluff 315 

Robertson,  James — 

League  with  Chickasaws. ...  39 

Founder  of  Nashville 306 

Died  among  Chickasaws.  .  .  .  346 

Rogers,     Major    Robert,     on 

Chickasaws 304 

Romans,  Bernard — 

Visits  Chickasaws 182 

Quoted 185 

Roosevelt,  President — 

Appoints  special  inspectors 

for  Indian    country ....  439 
Quoted 182 

Ross,  W.  T., quoted  as  to  name, 

etc.,  of  Holly  Springs 55 

Rowland,  Dr.  Dunbar — 

On   where    Mississippi    was 

discovered 52 

Shifts    his      defense    as    to 

topography  and  geology    55 
Conclusions  questioned ....   107 

Salt  licks  and  value 112 

Game  at 114 

Prized  by  Chickasaws 115 

Schools,    Chickasaw   children 

in 502 


Sells,  Hon.  Cato— 

Policy    as    Indian   commis- 
sioner    470 

Quoted 470,471 

Policy  discussed 471 

Commended 501 

On    service    of    Indians    in 

world-wide  war 519 

Sequoyah — 

Statue  in  Statuary  Hall 299 

Sketch  of 358 

Mother  of 359 

Devoted  mother 360 

Skilled  silversmith 361 

Wife  of 362 

Invents  syllabic  alphabet. .  .  362 
Philosophy  of  invention.  .  .  .   364 

Alphabet  described 364 

Teaches  little  daughter ....  365 

In  the  Hall  of  Fame 366 

Last  days  of 367 

Born  in  Tennessee 360-366 

Proposed  state  of 430,  476 

Shands,  G.  D.,  mentioned 169 

Shawnees,  thrust  by  Chicka- 
saws from  Tennessee  .  . .   302 
Shea,  John  Gilmary — 

Quoted 152 

Quotes  Marquette 234 

Simon,    the  Brave,  account  of 

his  bravery 262 

Slavery — 

Jefferson  on 374 

Chickasaws  refuse  to  adopt 

slaves 416 

Sniffen,  M.  K.,  mentioned ....  446 
South,    the,    and   intellectual 

men 368 

Five  Civilized    Tribes 370 

Southern  men's  labors  in  for- 
mation of  United  States  370 
Parts  taken  by  Jefferson, 
Washington,  Madison, 
Monroe,  Marshall,  Wil- 
son   370 


535 


I  n  d 


e  x 


South,   the,    and   Intellectual 
men — Continued 
After  abolition  of  slavery .  . .  374 

Example  of  Haiti 375 

After    emancipation,    pros- 
perity of 379 

Attitude  towards  union 381 

Grant,   U.  S.,  on  people  of, 

in  census  of  1920 392 

Speckled    Snake,    speech    to 

Jackson 328 

Story,  Joseph,  dissents  in  fa- 
vor of  Indians 299 

Stratton,   B.   M.,   as  to  wild 

pigeons 74 

Stuart,  Rev.  T.  C,  centenary 

of  labors  for  Chickasaws .  400 
Swaney,  W.  B — 

On  Marshall 372 

Safeguards    of    liberty,    on 

Jefferson 374 

Swanton,  John  R. — 

On  Adair 5 

Mentioned 139 

Tate,  Lieut.  Thomas  S., killed 

in  world-wide  war 467 

Taylor,  Gen.  Arthur  R  — 

Mentioned 304 

His    history    of    Chickasaw 

Guards 457 

Mentioned 464 

Tindall,  George  Gaines,  map 

reproduced 257 

Tishomingo,  annuity  provid- 
ed....   320 

County,  etc.,  named  for.  . .  321 

Topography — 

Of  Chickasaw  country 62 

Of  Chickasaw  Bluff 104 

Trace  of  Chickasaws — 

Superiority  of 57 

To  Natchez  ceded  to  United 

States 59 


Trace    of    Chickasaws — Con- 
tinued 

To  Chickasaw  Bluff 59 

Short  cut 65-95 

From  Holly  Springs  to  New 

Albany 76 

Indian    traces    everywhere 

over  country 58 

Helena,  on  Lusher's  map 97 

Trails,  see  Trace. 
Treaties — 

The  first  treaties  with  the 

Chickasaws 292-306 

Title  by  discovery 293 

First     or     unofficial,     with 

Chickasaws 301 

Of  1786 307 

Of  1801 308 

Ceding  Natchez  trail 308 

Of  1805 310 

Of  1816 313 

Preceding  birth  of  Memphis  314 
Heart  breaking,  of  1832-34. 
United    States     agrees 
never  to  disturb  Chick- 
asaws in  new  home 318 

Of  Washington,  1852 399 

Of  Washington,  1855 401 

Not  creditable 401 

Treaty  with  Confederacy . . .  407 

Of  1866 413 

Congress  set  aside  all,  abro- 
gation of  in  the  forum 

of  conscience 451 

Claim   of     Chickasaws    vs. 
United     States      under 

treaty  of  1866 508 

Tuggle,  George  R.,  mentioned  113 
Turley,  Thomas  B.,  mentioned  466 

Turner,  Dr.  B.  F  — 
Address    of    dedication    of 

De  Soto  memorial 159 

Upham,     Warren,     describes 

Lake  Hernando  De  Soto. .  168 


536 


Index 


Vance,  Re.  H.,  mentioned 169 

Vaudreuil,   Marquis   De,   war 

with  Chickasaws 270 

Vikings,  discoveries  of 6 

Walker,  Francis  A.,  quoted  on 

white  intruders 431 

War- 
How  made  by  Chickasaws  .  .   220 

World-wide,  Indians  in 510 

Chickasaws  in 512 

First  Americans  killed 514 

Wardle,  Lieut.  H.  Allen,  cap- 
tured in  world-wide  war . .   467 
Washington,   Booker,   a  wise 

counsellor 385 

Washington,  George — 

Letter  to  Piomingo 340 

Confirms    boundaries    of 

Chickasaw  country 344 

Lionizes    Piomingo 345 

Talks  to  Chickasaws 345 

Wayne,  Gen.  Anthony,  aided 

by  the  Chickasaws 344 

Wesley,  Rev.  John,  interview 

with  Chickasaw  Chief 216 

Westbrook,    J.    H.    P.,   men- 
tioned    169 

Wheatley,  Seth,  mentioned  ...   110 
White,   Chief  Justice  E.    D., 

appointed 382 

White,  T.  W.,  mentioned 169 

Winchester,  James- 
One  of  proprietors  of  Mem- 
phis   316 

Locates  state  line 316 

Winsor,   Justin,    misquoted .  .   152 


Winston,  E.  T  — 

On  hog  and  hominy 47 

De  Soto's  route 99 

Mentioned 400 

Furnishes  data  for  map  of 
historic  points  in  Chick- 
asaw country 286 

Wirt,  William,    ably    defends 

Indians 297 

Wolf  River  described 105 

Wolf's  Friend- 
Character 400 

Friend  of  Spaniards 352 

Wood,  Abraham,  early  explo- 
rations     235 

Woodruff,  Clinton  R.,  special 
report  on  abuses  in  Indian 
country 439 

Wutteh— 

Mother  of  Sequoyah 360 

Devoted  wife  and  mother. . .   360 

Wyly,  A.  S.,  report  as  super- 
visor    503 

Young,  Judge  J.  P.— 

On   where   Mississippi   was 

discovered 52 

Pigeon  Roost  Road 75 

His   article   on  Fort   Prud- 

homme 238 

Zapico,  Emilio — 

His  visit  to  Memphis 156 

Address  accepting  copy    of 

Hernando  De  Soto 167 

Zenobe — 

Father  DeMembre 236 

Quoted 236 


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